SAAW Nashville Chapter: Homeless Pets Program family of five

Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Obedience Class to Begin!

WHAT: Dog Obedience Classes & CGC Test

WHO: The Southern Alliance for Animal Welfare @ 615-474-8390

WHERE: PetMed, located at 1120 Bell Road in Antioch @ 615-731-8074

WHEN: To begin Thursday, July 29th and last 6 weeks, to end Thursday, September 9th. Class time is from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. The CGC test will be held on September 16th.

We are very excited to announce that we will be holding a 6 week basic dog obedience class.

On the 7th week we will give your dog the opportunity to earn an American Kennel Club (AKC) Canine Good Citizen Certificate!

Please note that the CGC test on the 7th week is optional! And you do not have to decide until the 6th week of class. The CGC test on the 7th week is for pet owners who want to take that extra step with their dogs and feel that they are ready.

Do you want to see just what your dog is capable of learning? You might just be amazed, because every dog can learn and become a Canine Good Citizen. This basic obedience course will teach your dog commands such as sit, stay, down and many others.

Please go to the American Kennel Club website at www.akc.org for more information on the benefits of CGC for you and your dog. You can enter CGC in the search bar on this site. You will have fun, meet other dog lovers and leave with not only a well-behaved dog but a dog you will see in a totally different way.

The class is limited to 16 dogs and their owners. To register your dog, please call Laurie Green at 615-474-8390 or email green642@bellsouth.net. Dogs must be at least 6 months old and have proof of their rabies vaccine. Please bring a 5 or 6ft leash, not a retractable leash, please! You may bring treats for your dog if you wish to train with them. The cost is only $60.00 for the entire 6 week class and $10.00 for the CGC test on the 7th week. Payment can be made by check or cash on the first night of class. We will provide water for the dogs attending.

As an added bonus, PetMed is offering 1 free night of boarding with a minimum stay of 3 nights for all dog owners completing the 6 week course and 2 free nights of boarding with a minimum stay of 4 nights for all dog owners who receive their CGC certificate!
 

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Due to the recent tragic flooding, the Southern Alliance for Animal Welfare is in desperate need of pet food. We need more dog than cat, but can use both. Please, no bags bigger than 10-15 pounds. We also need carriers (all sizes), leashes and collars. Gently used is okay. Gift cards to Walmart of cash donations also urgently needed. Feel free to call SAAW Nashville at 615-474-8390 if you want more information.

We serve homeless pet owners and those at or below the poverty level. I would estimate that 95% of the folks we serve have lost everything! Thankfully we've had no losses of human or animal life, however.

Donations of items may be dropped off at:

Pet Med Veterinary Clinic
1120 Bell Road
Antioch, TN

(across from Home Depot and Olive Garden)

Monetary donations may be made on this website, or mailed to our address:
Southern Alliance for Animal Welfare
P. O. Box 23535
Nashville, TN 37202

Welcome to the
Southern Alliance for Animal Welfare's website

Love your pet.  Fix your pet.

SAAW has a dedicated mission to homeless pet owners and those who live at or below the poverty level. Please support us with your generous donations as we seek out and help the pets that are truly the unseen and forgotten ones.

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SAAW Nashville's Homeless Pet Owner Outreach

Click here to find out more

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SAAW Nashville

 

It's summertime and the living is...

For our pets, summer brings as many potential problems as winter poses. When we bring a pet into our heart and home, they are a 24/7 365 responsibility!  But they sure are worth the effort may we all become the person our pets think that we are! But here are some summer tips to make life easier during these hot months. 

  • Always make sure the water bowl is filled with clean cold water! Especially if your dog spends an extended time outside. If you go somewhere after work, stop at home first and refill the bowl!

  • Please be cautious about leaving puppies or elderly dogs outside during our scorching summers. They have much less tolerance than dogs in between those ages.

  • I had someone tell me once, in a matter of fact way, that his dog had died of heatstroke. If you can imagine my response, you can also imagine my intolerance for a cruel death that is totally avoidable. No excuses here folks. If you decide to be a guardian to an animal, you are responsible for all the potential harm you can prevent.

  • If you keep food outside for your loving canine, make sure it is fresh and free of bugs. Food left out spoils much faster in hot weather.

  • Check the doghouse(s)  - are they clean and treated for fleas and ticks? You cant just treat your pet for these parasites the environment must be treated as well or you will lose this battle! And spread cedar shavings on the floor of their doghouse, and around the outside as well. Just remember while cedar shavings are fine for dogs and cats, they are dangerous for rodents and other small animal species.

  • Check your dogs skin regularly for flea and tick infestation. Allergic reactions to a fleabite can make your pet miserable and their skin itchy and scaly. Make a point to call your veterinarian today and schedule a visit for you and your pet. Your vet will map out a battle plan to keep your pet, as well as you and your home, parasite free!

  • Remember that your dog loves the time he spends with you is your dogs unconditional love rewarded with quality indoor time with the family?

  • Make sure your dog(s) are tested for heartworm and put on prevention!

  • Please dont EVER take your dog for a ride and leave it in the car for even the fastest of store runs! A car can turn into an oven in a few short minutes. Not only is this cruel, it is illegal. When it is hot outside, leave your pet home!!!

  • And please, keep cats indoors only unless you and your family supervise their outdoor time. They will live longer and so will our beautiful songbirds!

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Update on our progress for 2010

 

Serving homeless pet owners and those who live at or below the poverty level in Davidson County 

From 2009 forward, we have had 179 animals totally vetted (this always includes spaying or neutering), we have treated and saved the lives of 39 (one for a knife wound), we have had 96 surrendered to us and placed into rescue (no animal is placed without being fixed & vetted first) and continued on with our commitment to a better world for these animals. That number now includes Miller the rooster! In addition we have made sure that the pet owners we serve have access to pet food, collars, leashes and other necessities if they are unable to purchase these pet needs on their own. We have a very active pet food bank that now serves between 40-60 each month! In addition we treat each animal we serve with either Advantage Multi, Frontline and/or Panacur. And although these are not high numbers as some organizations count, they are significant because they are animals who no one would even know existed if it were not for SAAW. We are determined to give a face and a name to animals that most in our community never knew existed. And there are more animals out there that we have not yet reached out to nor found. Your donations will allow us to more aggressively look for them. Your donation will give more a chance at a better life.


 
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Edgar, SAAW's assistant webmaster, checks out the site.

 

 


ALERT!
SAAW depends on your financial assistance.  Please donate your tax-deductible donations and remember your money goes directly into our spay/neuter subsidy certificate program.

Click here for a word from our founder, Laurie Green


Find out more about early-age spay/neuter.

  Pet Tales

    SAAW Nashville
P.O. Box 23535
Nashville, TN 37202
615-474-8390
laurie@fixyourpet.org

The one thing missing from our efforts to help the homeless and those who live on the streets or in homeless encampments are the pets. Where do they fit in this puzzle?

Many who are homeless became so after becoming pet owners. And they made a decision to hold onto their pets, even as their life became played out in the streets they used to drive on. As someone who has spent 25+ years in the field of animal welfare, I’ve heard the lame excuses people give you as they are handing you a pet they hold in (what seems to be) the same regard as yesterday’s newspaper, I have to admire this. Many are given a pet by a fellow homeless human as they head out of town in search of another chance. And the rest find a homeless animal as they trod up and down our city streets. God knows they are both everywhere, homeless people and animals. That they find each other and fill a void for both should not be surprising.

Owning a pet is not practical when you are homeless. I know this because I have worked with the folks living at Tent City and other homeless pet owners for about 6 years now. The Southern Alliance for Animal Welfare (SAAW Nashville) gets the animals vet checked, fixed and vaccinated; we also provide collars, leashes, flea treatment and pet food. But I have observed that the number of pets treated pretty well is about on par with those living in “real” houses. Owning a home does not make you a good pet owner, and being homeless does not make you a bad pet owner. Judge each only on their merits and actions, and not on their situation.

No, being a homeless pet owner is not practical. The traditional homeless shelters will turn you away. But I don’t feel that to separate them is either compassionate or humane. We need some alternative to keep them together, these homeless humans and their pets. This is what makes a place like Tent City important, even in all of its less than ideal surroundings. By improving and regulating Tent Cities (homeless camps), we can keep the non-traditional homeless together. Maybe keeping a human being and their pet together is not on your list of priorities in what makes up quality of life for a city. But maybe we need to redefine quality of life. And maybe keeping them together will be what it takes to lift them back up and into a home of their own. And maybe separating them will take away every inspiration they might still have to give the 9 to 5 life another chance.

SAAW Nashville does realize that pet ownership for those who are homeless is controversial and less than ideal. We acknowledge that it is best to have stable housing before taking on a pet. However with the number of homeless animals wandering our streets everywhere; it is understandable how one wandering soul finds the other. But we believe that first of all, an animal is better off if it is vet checked, fixed and vaccinated. And by reaching out to someone who truly loves their pet, yet lives on the streets, we have a chance to change both lives for the better. And when they transition into permanent housing we stand ready to help their pet transition as well. SAAW Nashville works with church groups, social workers, as well as Happy Tales Humane, Metro Animal Control, Nashville Humane Association and other sheltering and rescue groups in placing the animals that the homeless must give up.

Many of these homeless pet owners already have their priorities in place. They have a love that is unconditional and sees them not as the world sees them but as they hope to be seen. In our list of what makes a great city, we cannot forget the ones at the bottom and that includes both homeless pets and people. I think giving them both a lift to the top is the ticket to a great city.

But like all programs, money is the bottom line need. Without your financial donations, our work comes to a halt. Your donations are tax-deductible and can be made at our website. SAAW will go into the trenches as well as the streets, alleys and homeless encampments. Your donations keep us going, and believe me the rewards are more than you can imagine. We may not be changing the world, but our corner of it is much better off because we exist. Just ask Buddy, Chloe, Sassy, Missy, Argo, Kit Kat, Mr.T, Foxy, Jazzy, Precious, Sunshine, Furby, Sheba, Tuffy…………...

Laurie Green
President and Founder
Southern Alliance for Animal Welfare
SAAW Nashville
P. O. Box 23535
Nashville, TN 37202
www.fixyourpet.org
laurie@fixyourpet.org
615-474-8390

Posted via email from ElyssaD's Posterous

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