Pampered Chef Party to Pamper SNIPSA Pup

Reid is an 18 month old Labrador Retriever who was picked up on the streets of San Antonio after being struck by a car. Reid was taken to a local veterinarian with a dislocated hip and pelvic fracture. The hip was successfully put back in place by the veterinarian; however, it was determined that the pelvis fracture would require surgery to repair. SNIPSA was approached to take Reid into their care and his foster mom stepped forward not only to foster Reid, but also committed to raising the funds necessary to repair his injuries. Reid underwent a complex surgery on February 26 to begin his healing process. Through all of this, Reid has been a wonderful dog and already has adopters lining up!

Now ... here is where his foster mom's commitment to fundraising comes into play and you can help ... On Saturday, March 6th, Jeanae Jensen will be hosting a Pampered Chef Party at her home. The party will be from 1:00 P.M. until 6:30 P.M. in West Oaks Estates at 13603 Tahoe Vista, San Antonio, TX 78253. If you are able to stop by the party, please call (210) 679-0006 to RSVP, because Jeanae will be making some treats for everyone and wants to prepare enough!

If you cannot attend the Pampered Chef Party on March 6th, but you still want to help with Reid's expenses, you can place online orders for Pampered Chef products by visiting www.pamperedchef.biz/genaskitchen. Simply click on "order online" and type in: SNIPSA. Until the middle of March, online ordering will be available to credit Reid's surgery.

If Pampered Chef is not your thing, but you would still like to contribute to Reid's surgery, you can make an online donation at SNIPSA's website www.snipsa.org

Becky Bliss
SNIPSA, Inc.
Adoption/Foster/Vol

Successfully Adopting a Rescue Dog

Can anyone around here speak dog?

Herbie, a long haired Chihuahua after his owner surrendered him to Animal Care Services.

Our pounds and shelters are full of excellent, but misunderstood dogs. By misunderstood I mean, most dogs are in the pound because they had owners who could not speak dog. Owners who didn't give the dog what it instinctively needed and in return they created a dog with issues. The two number one reasons a dog develops issues are lack of exercise and lack of leadership. Humans forget they are dealing with a canine animal and too many times do not give the canine what they need as that animal. When the dog does not act like that picture perfect image they had in their minds they assume they "didn't get a good one." and they "get rid" of the dog. That's the bad news. The good news is since dogs live from day to day, meaning they do not dwell in the past or the future, it is absolutely possible to take a full grown dog and start over as if it is the first day of the rest of their life. Do it right and you will see a totally different dog than the owners who dumped the dog at the pound saw.

Opie is a very outgoing, curious, and playful mixed breed puppy.

Your first task is to find the right dog. This is going to take time on your part, and should begin before you even set foot in a shelter. Not every dog is a match for every human family. Decide what size dog you would like. Study the different breeds so when you get to the pound you have a general idea what a wide variety of breeds are like. There will be two main things you should be looking for: the dog's energy level and the dog's dominancy level. By studying a wide variety of breeds before you decide to adopt, you should be able to make a more educated guess as to what type of dog will work for you.

Levi, a Weimaraner, was rescued from Animal Care Services

For example, if you see a Weimaraner and you studied up on this breed you will know that it will be high energy and needs a more dominate owner. You want to choose a dog with the same or lower energy level than your own. You also need to take a serious look at your family's personality. Are you the laid back not very active type or are you more authority driven and active? If your family is passive, a dominant dog would be a horrible match for you. If your family is more assertive and can easily provide structure you may be able to handle a more dominant type. If you are a laid back like to watch TV type of family then choosing a very high energy dog that needs to go on daily jogs would not be a good match for you.

Cowboy was a perfect companion in his new home.

After you have a good general idea of what types of dogs will work for you and everyone in the house is in agreement to adopt a dog it is time to start looking at different pounds and rescues for the right match. Do not think that you need to come home with a dog on the first day. If you choose poorly and bring home a dog that does not match your family you may be hurting the dog you are trying to save more than you are helping it. Dogs who are repeatedly returned to the pound have a higher rate of being killed. Take your time and choose wisely.

Be a angel for one of our special SNIPSA animals. See how you can help! SPONSORSHIP

Winter Issue SNIPSA Newsletter

Please enjoy our newsletter covering the events and stories of the recent past and events yet to come.

New SNIPSA Rescues Happy to Have a Chance to Ring in the New Year!!

As SNIPSA wound up its 2009, we found ourselves at San Antonio Animal Care Services to do routine evaluating and selecting of impounded animals. What we did not anticipate in these last couple of trips were the number of amazingly sweet dogs with medical issues that would not make them adoptable through ACS. We knew their only way to a happy and long life was through rescue with SNIPSA. Some of the animals were relatively routine to treat and simply needed extra time and love while others had more severe injuries and medical disease that required extensive treatment. Below you will see the faces we are bringing into SNIPSA to start 2010. Click on their individual link to read each of their stories. We know this will be a big year for each of these dogs and an even bigger year for SNIPSA and the animals we save. If you would like to get involved in the fight to save San Antonio animals there is so much you can do. Sign up to be a volunteer (Click here for Volunteer App) or sign up to foster (Click here for Foster App). Our volunteers help at adoption events to find animals their new forever homes and at Big Fix spay/neuter clinics to help reduce the numbers of stray and unwanted dogs and cats. Fosters open their homes to the animals we rescue and fall in love each time! If you want to help but don't feel you have extra time, donations (Click here for donation page) of all sizes are welcome and directly help all of the animals we save!

Faces of Rescues Needing Help:

	Opie - Sarcoptic Mange and Skin InfectionsOpie is now 3 months old and very handsome and sweet. See his video
	Herbie came to SNIPSA with a broken front leg, and after his exam was found to have two fractures in his front leg and a fractured hip. Herbie has had his surgery. Herbie is now ready for his forever home!!!
	Teddy came to SNIPSA after being rescued from 10 years of living on a chain through Dogs Deserve Better.
	Simba came to SNIPSA with a suspected fracture in his rear leg. After a biopsy was performed, cancer was found and Simba had to have his leg amputated.

Please Donate to the Big Fix

BIG FIXER

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Did you know?

Numbers at a glance:

26,481 = Number of dogs and cats euthanized at Animal Care Services (ACS) in 2008

$306 = Average cost to taxpayers to catch, house, and euthanize each animal at ACS

67,000 = Number of puppies ONE DOG and her offspring can produce in six years

370,000 – Number of kittens ONE CAT and her offspring can produce in seven years

For less than the cost of catching, housing, and euthanizing ONE animal at ACS, you can make a huge IMPACT in these numbers.

SNIPSA is searching for 200 individuals, groups, or businesses to donate $200 (20-$10s!) to fund Big Fixes in San Antonio's high need neighborhoods.

Be Part of the Solution: Donate today and become a Big Fixer for 2010! Click here to join.

Big Fix Members

Microchips Save Lives

Just last week SNIPSA received a phone call from Town Lake Animal Control in Austin stating they had a dog with our microchip that had been dropped through the “night drop.” We had three days to reclaim him. After some investigating, it was determined that the dog was named “Dino” and was a resident stray that had been living at a workplace next to the Missions San Jose in San Antonio. He had just been seen the day prior running around with a few of his other canine buddies. A Good Samaritan had taken Dino to be neutered and micro-chipped when he first wondered up to the property. How he made it from San Antonio to Austin during the night is a mystery. The silver lining is that Dino was reclaimed and returned to his rightful home near the Missions. This is a testament to the fact that microchips save lives. Without a collar/tag and being an ordinary black and tan dog, Dino did not stand a chance of being adopted at a high kill shelter. The microchip saved his life. To ensure the safety of your pet, please have your dog or cat micro-chipped. Collars and tags fall off and strange things can happen. The microchip will always be there and a useful way to reunite lost pets with their owners.