Both animals are luckier than most throwaway pets. They were rescued and have new lives in loving homes. Their stories and those of other rescued Mat-Su Valley pets have inspired local dog-lover Linda Henning to self-publish her book “Forever Home: Adopted Dogs and the Humans Who Love Them.”
Cubbie was labeled “not adoptable” at the Mat-Su Borough Animal Care and Regulation shelter in Palmer. She and several other dogs were found in a cramped cage at an abandoned Lhasa apso puppy mill with six tiny, neglected puppies. Cubbie’s savior is Kim Clein, who stepped in at the last minute to save the dog, and the two have built a new life together.
 LINDA HENNING/Courtesy photo Clyde is a young pit bull mix who was found dragging himself down a Mat-Su Valley road with both hind legs broken. His story of being rescued and finding a happy family is one of nearly 20 pooch stories in Linda Henning'€™s '€˜Forever Home: Adopted Dogs and the Humans Who Love Them.'€™ |
With the assistance of Michael Abe, a fire mitigator with the Mat-Su Borough, Henning recruited adopted dog owners around the Valley to tell their stories of how their pets managed to survive in a dog-eat-dog world. In September, she visited the Mat-Su Borough Animal Care and Regulation shelter and adopted Daisy, whose previous owners didn’t respond to the shelter’s repeated phone calls that their pet had been found unharmed.
“She’s an amazing dog,” Henning said of Daisy. “She’s young, smart and very keen. I went through the shelter process, put her in my name and brought her home on Labor Day. The whole experience dealing with the shelter and the vet technicians made me realize that people may be missing out on the rescue side of pet adoption. So that’s when I decided I was going to put a book together of similar stories.”
With a mission to spark the adoption of unwanted and abandoned pets before they have to be put down, Henning contacted radio station KMBQ after hearing about the shelter’s Pet of the Day project highlighting an adoptable animal. She called the station with her idea for the book.
“I met with the radio station [personnel], presented the idea to write this book and they encouraged me with support,” Henning said.
She met with adopted pet owners and chose 19 stories, including her own with Daisy, to highlight. The pages were then put together by Blurb.com, a digital printing company in California, then published through Image Works, Henning’s local production company. “Forever Home” can only be purchased online at Imageworkspub.com for $39 for the hard-bound edition, plus shipping. Proceeds from “Forever Home” sales are being donated to local rescue groups in the Valley and the Alaska Dog and Puppy Rescue Center.
Alaska Dog and Puppy Rescue accepts dogs of all sizes that have overstayed their time at the Mat-Su animal shelter and are on death row. Volunteers foster the animals until homes are found.
A recent statistical study from the Mat-Su Animal Care and Regulation office shows that since January, nearly 3,400 animals have been brought to the shelter with 1,089 being adopted to new homes and 1,000 more returned to their original owners. The study also shows that more than 1,300 dogs and cats have been put down so far in 2007.
Dave Allison, chief of the Mat-Su Animal Care and Regulation office, said Henning’s book could help spark more interest in pet adoption.
“Anything that brings positive intent to forgotten animals could heighten the awareness to animal ownership and the rescuing process,” Allison said. “The dogs in the shelter aren’t exactly pet shop animals, but they’re just as good and less as expensive.”
Rescue organizations such as the Alaska Dog and Puppy Rescue have helped more than 200 dogs this year, Allison said.
“That number is outstanding,” he said. “These organizations are a huge [asset] and they help broaden the awareness and impact of abandoned animals in the area.”
Although she highlighted 19 stories, there were many others, Henning said. “More people wanted to be in the book than I could allow.”
This is Henning’s first major project with Image Works, and although interested buyers can only purchase the book online, Henning said more books about dog rescues are being developed to be released in the future. She wants to highlight adoption with her first.
“I wanted to, of course, raise extra money for these extraordinary groups in the Valley, but also show the happy side of normally sad songs,” she said. “I mention in the book that these dogs have no sad faces, no bony ribs to show off, but they rather came through an ordeal and now have forever homes.”
Henning noted that the stories touched her immensely, especially Cubbie’s.
“It was amazing to me that someone would put that much care and concern into saving these creatures; that to me is the real story,” she said. “I saw a completely different side to people when it came to their beloved pets. They don’t feel sorry for their dogs, but look at these beautiful animals with value.”
Contact J.J. Harrier at valleylife@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.
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