Lady - A678895 - American Pit Bull Terrier

Lady is an American Pit Bull Terrier and is 1 year and 10 months old. She is very playful, loving and will sit in your lap. She is good with other dogs and with people. She walks well on the leash and does not pull so much. She is truly a wonderful dog.

Lopez - A678396 - German Shepherd Mix

Lopez is a German Shepherd Mix and is 1 year old. He is extremely playful. He loves to jump up on people. He also likes playing with the leash and will play tug of war with you.

Lopez is at the Animal Care & Control Center in NYC.

Isabelle - American Pit Bull Mix

Isabelle is an American Pit Bull Mix and is 2 years old. She is at the Animal Care and Control Center in NYC.

Isabelle is calm and fun to be with. She doesn't pull the leash at all. She is a pleasure to be around.

Goliath - #A678603 - American Staff Mix

Goliath is a wonderful American Staff Mix. He is at the Animal Care & Control Center in NYC. His owner gave him up because he/she was tired of cleaning up after it. What did you expect???

Anyway, Goliath is 1 year and 6 months old. He loves to play and is very friendly. He pulls the leash a little but is not excessive and will eventually walk with you.

If you're interested in Goliath call the AC&C 718.728.4000 and mention his unique number above.

Danny Boy - #A679171 - Pit Bull Mix

Danny Boy is a beautiful Pit Bull Mix. He is 1 year and 6 months old. He comes from an abused home and needs a lot of love. He always feels like he needs to escape or run away. It was very difficult for us to calm him down. He was nervous and afraid but with a little patience and understanding from his owner he will make a great addition to the family.

Nelson - Pit Bull Mix - Rest In Peace

Nelson - 1 year old pit bull mix - 9/27/06 - RIP

New York Daily News Article - Volunteers Needed

This is the article where Dutch and I participated in the photo shoot. We had a wonderful time.

I hope more people volunteer at all the AC&C's around the area. There's one in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island. Visit the Animal Care & Control Center website to find out more about volunteering. The dogs and cats really need us :)

Princess - #A677603 An American Staffordshire Mix

Princess is an american staffordshire mix. She is 2 years old. She has been at the Animal Care & Control center since 9/19/06. She was surrendered because the mother was afraid of dogs. Ummm, how did the dog get into the house in the first place without her permission ???

Anyway, Princess was shivering when I approached her cage. I put my hand up to her nose for her to sniff, but she turned away from me. I walked away and her eyes followed me, so I came back. I decided I would take her out anyway. I opened up the cage and put on the leash. She zoomed out of there.

I'm not sure what her last owners did to her but she is very timid with humans, but great with other dogs. When a man came by she put her tail between her legs and tried to get away. With me, she was okay but when I tried to get a fly away from her she thought I was going to hit her and cowered down. I tried to console her and massage her gently around the ears and forehead. She warmed up to me little by little and her tail began to rise.

Princess needs a lot of love and assurance that humans are okay and not going to hurt her. If you have a lot of love to share and patience, then Princess could use your help. I've seen a sparkle in her and I know that with the right environment she would quickly heal her wounds :)

Dutch #A655894 - Labrador Retriever / Pitbull Mix

Dutch is a 1 year and 1 month old Labrador Retriever / Pitbull mix. He is at the Animal Care & Control Center in Manhattan and was brought in today. He was returned by his owner.

It escapes me why Dutch was returned because I had a wonderful time with him today. He walked by my side and did not pull the leash. This is rare! He is extremely playful and gets a long well with other dogs.

He is a lucky dog too because today he was one of the dogs chosen to be in the New York Daily News photo shoot and I had the honor of walking him. Their were three of us and four dogs. They were all so excited to play with each other in the grass and near the water. The photographer, Linda, was patient and understanding. It can be challenging to photograph dogs that are young, energetic and so thrilled to be outdoors :)

I'm not sure when the article is coming of but I'll keep you posted.

Jada #A677606 - a Labrador Mix

Jada is a 11 month old labrador mix. She is at the Animal Care & Control Center in Manhattan and has been there since yesterday. The owner surrendered her because their building does not allow pets.....

Anyway, Jada is very intelligent. She walks by your side and if you run she will do the same. Very obedient and playful. Outstanding dog :)

Puppy #A677601 - A labrador retriever mix

Puppy is a four month old labrador retriever mix. He is at the Animal Care & Control Center in Manhattan. The owner gave him up because they had too many pets. What's that all about?

Anyway, I took Puppy out today and he is a dream. He needs a lot of attention and loves to play. He walks by your side and always looks up at you. When I sat down with him he stayed but he got a little anxious because he wanted to play some more.

Beautiful :)

Amber #A675974 - A German Shepherd Mix

Amber is a german shepherd mix. She is 1 year old and is at the Animal Care and Control Center in NYC. She has been there since September 8, 2006.

She is amazing. She has an incredible amount of energy and extremely curious. She loves to jump and play. She pulls on the leash to wrestle with you.

As you can see from the photo, my husband and her really bonded. She loved being scratched on her belly. They were there for a while. It was hard for him to pull away because everytime he lifted his hand to stop, she'd look at him like, "Where you going, I'm not done yet."

If you're interested in Amber call the Animal Care & Control Center at 212.788.4000 and mention her unique number A675974.

Binky #A676457- A Pitbull Mix

I fell in love with Binky yesterday. He was the most beautiful and compassionate dog. I know I say that about a lot of the dogs I meet but it's true :)

Anyway, Binky is a Pitbull mix, he's 1 year and 6 months old. He's at the Animal Care and Control Center in NYC and has been there since September 11, 2006.

Binky loves to lick and say I love you! I love big dogs because I can wrap both arms around them and snuggle and Binky let me. Some times he would be like, "enough already" and wiggle his way out, but then when he got loose from my loving crip he would kiss me to tell me he still loved me, he just needs some space. Ha, Ha :)

He was fascinated by the pigeons in the area with his ears perked up, very alert but he didn't chase after them. He just watched.

If you're interested in Binky, call the Animal Care & Control Center at 212.788.4000 and mention his unique number. He is truly a cuddly companion.

A Dalmatian, Pitbull & Labrador Mix and Thelma :)

UPDATE - 9/18/06- ALL ADOPTED! YEAH!! Thelma was taken in by a foster parent until her leg heals

Today was a great day at the shelter. I was able to spend time with three lovely dogs. Would you believe I forgot my camera :( Well, I'll be going back tomorrow and if they haven't been adopted I'll be sure to take pictures if they're available.

Storm A676272 - a beautiful Dalmatian male puppy only 4 months old. What a sweetheart. When I took him out he was jumping all over me, licking and kissing. Very excited, wagging his beautiful tail. After I walked him a bit he started to relax. When I sat down he would cuddle up on my lap. At one point he wedged his way between my legs, put his head on my thigh, curled up and went to sleep. My leg fell asleep but I didn't mind. I enjoyed every minute of it. He loves to be scratched on his belly and he loves full hugs with both arms. Great dog!

Pitbull - I have to get his name. Sorry:( He's about 1 year and 6 months. We had to get use to eachother. He was gentle. We walked out side and he pulled me but he also would stop and walk by my side and often he would look back to make sure I was there. As time went by we got to know eachother and we would cuddle. He let me pet his face and hold him. I enjoyed my time with him. Beautiful dog!

Wanda A676240 - Wanda is a female black labrador mix. Darling :) She's only 7 months old. She's a playful little thing. She's delightful to walk, she pull's a bit but I'm noticing most of the sheltered dogs do this because they are so excited to be out of the cages. But once they have gotten their locked up energy out, they tend to calm down. When I sat down she sat with me and jumped on my lap. She's a licker so be prepared to be kissed a lot. She also loves to play with your hands. She's adorable.

I spent about 3 hours there today. On my way out, I was shocked by a pitbull mix who was just brought into the shelter because she was hit by a car. Her back left leg was dangling and had a scar. She was waiting to be brought into the vet. I stopped and sat down with her. One of the staff was there and told me the story. She was just recently adopted from that same shelter, the adoptor gave her to someone in New Jersey and she was hit by the car here in New York. Sad. I told him they should hunt down the adopter and send that person to jail. No comment. Anyway, her name is Thelma. She wanted so much to sit down because she was exhausted but couldn't because of her leg, so she leaned her face into my lap and rested. I put my head on hers and told her she would be alright. I also put the intent out there for her to heal. When I left her she was a little more energetic. I'm going back to see her tmw. I'll let you know.

One thing I have to say is that Thelma is amazing like all animals. If that were me and I broke my leg I'd be whining and crying like crazy. I love animals. Before you adopt, please make sure you are ready for the commitment involved. Do not take an animal just because they are cute for the moment and then you find out they crap, they pee, they snore, they fart, they need to be walked and fed, they cost money and the like. Take it because you are ready, because you love life and honor God in all things, adopt it with the mindset that this is your child, and you never throw your child away or put it in the street.

God is all life! Cherish it :)

Animal Care & Control Center Volunteer Orientation Dates for September 2006

If you're in the NYC area come down to the AC&C and participate in their volunteer orientation and see how you can help the animal community. I guarantee it will change your life.

Saturday, September 16 th, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Volunteer Orientation
Brooklyn Care Center
2336 Linden Blvd
Brooklyn, NY


Wednesday, September 20 th, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Volunteer Orientation
Manhattan Care Center
326 E 110th Street
New York, NY


Tuesday, September 26 th, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Volunteer Orientation
Staten Island Care Center
3139 Veterans Road West
Staten Island, NY


Saturday, September 30 th, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Volunteer Orientation
Manhattan Care Center
326 E 110th Street
New York, NY

Dog Handler

On Monday I had the opportunity to be a Dog Handler for about 2 hours. It was an eye opener. I thought I would just play with dogs and hang out but I found that most of the time was spent breaking up fights.

I got scratched up a bit and my shirt was torn but even still I had a blast. It was interesting to watch the dogs play and enjoy running around. It's amazing that they revert back to their ancestry ways when they are in a pack of about 20 dogs. They establish who are the alpha females and males, they must greet and sniff everyone who enters the room, even me. I was the new kid on the block so they all sniffed me to see what I was about. They also tested me. That was interesting.

Some dogs like Sadie, a female Doberman, would come up to me to be massaged and when any other dog wanted the same, she would push them aside. When I stopped petting her she would hit my hand with her nose to signal she wasn't ready for me to stop.

I was exhausted when I got home and collapsed. It's rough pulling full grown great danes, dobermans, labordors and so many more off of each other. But like I said, I enjoyed every minute of it. The barking and howling too :)

Although I came home with a few scratches and a torn shirt I loved it. There's nothing like being around a pack of dogs.

Max Was Adopted :)

Update 10/11/06 - Rest In Peace Max

I am pleased to announce that one of our featured pets, Max, was adopted last night at 7:10pm. YIPPIE!!!

I am so excited. When I first heard the news I was a little sad. I guess because I had grown so attached to him in such a short period of time. But I am also elated because he has a home. YEAH!

One down, 4,999,999 to go :)

Video of Kimba - A beautiful German Shepherd Mix

Video of Max - a pitbull mix

This is a video of Max :) I say he is an american staffordshire mix but he's a beautiful pitbull mix :) I hope you love him as much as I do!

My husband and I went to see him yesterday. We took him for a walk and spent about an hour with him. He's a gentle dog and loves to just sit with us and relax, observe his surroundings and be hugged and kissed. He's very alert too!

I spoke with Liz Keller, the Shelter Operations Manager at AC&C, and she's aware that my husband and I love Max and are trying to find him a home or even a foster home. She has allowed us to post Max around and find him a home. Thank you Liz! Liz is fabulous and runs the AC&C with a lot of passion. The entire staff is exceptional and really take pride in their work helping the dogs, cats and all the other animals remain comfortable, healthy and loved :)

Anyway, keep your eyes peeled for us also. We'll keep you updated.

Kimba - a beautiful German Shepherd Mix

My husband and I went yesterday to the Animal Care & Control Center to dog walk. We were so excited to see Max again. He was jumping around and excited to see us. We decided this time we were going to be brave and take out two dogs. We chose Kimba, a beautiful german sheperd mix. She was quiet so we figured I could handle her. Angelo would take Max and I would take Kimba. Well it didn't quite work out the way we planned. When we got Kimba out of the cage she was extremely excited and deceivingly strong. Wow! She's 6 years old but she acts and has the energy of a 2 year old like Max.

We decided that we would take Kimba out alone and then come back for Max. We took her along 1st avenue and brought her to this open spaced area where Angelo ran with her a bit. She loved it. She was curious about everything. We also realized she has a fascination with parked cars. Every parked car that we passed she sniffed and she also liked being by the curb. Must be a sign of being trained to go to the bathroom there. She is as sweet as can be.

If you would like to adopt Kimba or you know of some who would contact the AC&C http://www.nycacc.org

Finding a home for Max - a pitbull mix

I spoke to Bide-A-Wee about Max. Unfortunately they are not taking in any dogs at this time. It seems they have a ring worm epidemic that they are getting under control.

They also told me that it is up to the adoption personnel at Bide-A-Wee to make the decision on which dogs are brought from the shelter to their establishment. I can not tell them which dog I want my $30 to go to. They also mentioned that they do make trips to the AC&C and evaluate the dogs for adoption. I'll have to find out if Max was evaluated. In my opinion, all he needs is a little training and he's good to go :)

My next step is to talk with AC&C in person on Sunday to see if there is anything further I can do.

Inspired by Max - a pitbull mix - to take the next step

Well, since I volunteered last week all I can think about is Max. I decided to contact Bide-A-Wee. They have a Second Chance Program where if you donate $30 they will take a dog from a shelter and give it a permanent home at their adoption center until it is adopted.

I asked them if I could choose the dog I wanted to give the Second Chance to, of course in this instance it would be Max. I am waiting to hear back from them.

I'll update you when I know. Cross your fingers :)

Volunteering at the Animal Care & Control Center in NYC

Above is Max, a pitbull mix. He is 2 years and 2 months old. He's been at the Animal Care & Control center in NYC since August 19, 2006. My husband, Angelo, and I started volunteering there this past Sunday (September 3rd, 2006). We dog walk whenever we get a chance. The ACC takes in all animals including rabbits, birds, chickens and more. They do not turn away any animal.

Anyway, Max was the only one that had not been walked so Angelo and I suited him up with the help of the staff and took him out. He jumped all over us. He was so happy to be taken out.

He is an extremely strong dog, very healthy, clean and solid. He's pure muscle. In the beginning he pulled us and walked in front and was excited. Then after an hour he would walk between us and make sure we were both by his side. When we sat down, he sat down with us and would put his face in Angelo's lap and the same with me. He warmed up to us quickly. I didn't want to leave and Max didn't want us to leave either because when we went to put him back in the cage he pulled us and struggled.

I hope to see him again this coming Sunday. If anyone knows of a happy, loving family that is looking for an incredibly kind and loving dog, let me know :)