Newsletters for 2009
One By One and front page image gallery (July 2009)
July 2009
We have been updating the site lately. I am particularly proud of our new image gallery on the front page. What do you think?
Also, I have this beautifully written and very sad poem by Leslie Whalen I thought you might like to read.
One By One
By Leslie Whalen
One by One, they pass by my cage,
Too old, too worn, too broken, no way.
Way past his time, he can't run and play.
Then they shake their heads slowly and go on their way.
A little old dog, arthritic and sore,
It seems I am not wanted anymore.
I once had a home, I once had a bed,
A place that was warm, and where I was fed.
Now my muzzle is grey, and my eyes slowly fail.
Who wants a dog so old and so frail?
My family decided I didn't belong,
I got in their way, my attitude was wrong.
Whatever excuse they made in their head,
Can't justify how they left me for dead.
Now I sit in this cage, where day after day,
The younger dogs get adopted away.
When I had almost come to the end of my rope,
You saw my face, and I finally had hope.
You saw thru the grey, and the legs bent with age,
And felt I still had life beyond this cage.
You took me home, gave me food and a bed,
And shared your own pillow with my poor tired head.
We snuggle and play, and you talk to me low,
You love me so dearly, you want me to know.
I may have lived most of my life with another,
But you outshine them with a love so much stronger.
And I promise to return all the love I can give,
To you, my dear person, as long as I live.
I may be with you for a week, or for years,
We will share many smiles, you will no doubt shed tears.
And when the time comes that God deems I must leave,
I know you will cry and your heart, it will grieve.
And when I arrive at the Bridge, all brand new,
My thoughts and my heart will still be with you.
And I will brag to all who will hear,
Of the person who made my last days so dear.
Ms. Whalen wrote this poem, originally entitled "Tray's Poem", in honor of her dog, Tray, and all senior dogs who await a new home and deserve a second chance at life and happiness.
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -- Mark Twain
Hound TV, DogTree and social media (August 2009)
Sunday, 16th of August 2009
We are on Hound TV!
Mother Chihuahua (Rita) appeared on Hound TV in July 2009 - Season 2, Episode 7. Steven and Rita spoke about her mission to help rescued Chihuahuas find loving forever homes: this included discussing health issues, life span, and what sort of concerns adoptees need to keep in mind when considering whether to take in a rescued Chihuahua. We are very grateful to Steven, who maintains the Hound TV Facebook page. Check out other episodes from Channel 31's Hound TV on their website or on their YouTube page.
You can also see this video on our front page gallery!
You can discuss this video on it's very own Facebook post if you like.
It has been months since I put up a newsletter on this site! Sorry about that, but I have been spending time on newsletters for the Chihuahua Club Chatter instead and haven't had enough time for my own site.
During the past month our son, Robert, has been teaching me about HTML and preparing images for the web site. We are eternally grateful to you, Robert, for all the free computer and web page help, not to mention maintaining this site! Also, we wish to thank Süheyla and Talya for their assistance.
During the past six months we have had some wonderful donations of food, towels, doggy dishes; two litre Ice Cream containers with lids for storing the stew we cook; along with money donations to assist with the cost of Veterinary fees for the dogs. We received a wonderful donation of Eukanuba dried dog food from Proctor and Gamble Pet Food Australia. We also make use of the offer from Ritchie's Stores allowing us to use their Community Benefit card: many thanks to Ritchies. If you shop at Ritchies Stores or Liquor Stores please contact us and we will send you a Community Benefit Card to assist in raising money to help with these little guys!
We feel blessed with knowing some really great people; particularly those who offer a permanent home to a really old little dog, who - through no fault of their own - find themselves without a home to live in for their final days. During the past several months we have met at least two couples who have taken in fifteen year old chihuahuas. Thank you so much. You are wonderful people and I cannot find the words to tell you how much we admire you for what you are doing.
We have been running Chihuahua Rescue Victoria since 1992. During that time we have re-homed more than 3,000 little dogs. We spend at least one afternoon each week visiting elderly folk in nursing homes. Our little old "rescue" dogs give them so much pleasure. It's a great thing for the Chihuahuas to experience a day out, along with all the kisses and cuddles they get. Not to forget all the snacks they sneak - despite us telling them "no"!
We got a phone call in June from the "Grant a Wish" organisation. A little girl with cancer wanted a Chihuahua and her parents felt it was the wrong time to give a little dog a home, since the medical advice was that this little girl had perhaps only three weeks to live. We agreed straight away to take a little Chihuahua to visit her, maybe three days a week. The lady from Grant a Wish was "over the moon" and so were we. Madly, we bathed and prepared a little oldie, ready for the visit. We were very upset to receive the call that it was too late. Our heart goes out to her family.
A new page has been put up on the site: unidentified Chihuahuas. During the past few years we have experienced the usual issues with computers dying and disks getting lost. Over the last three months I have been trying to restore my library of photos and stories that have been taken and written over the years. However, we have no recollection of names for some of our Chihuahua photos. So we will publish some of the photos that we have been able to find again and ask if you know these little ones and their names. If the Chihuahua is yours, we would appreciate an updated story on how they are progressing!
Life is just wonderful with these little ones and we love them all dearly.
We are on Twitter, Facebook and DogTree
New! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or DogTree!
Wait, that's not a Chihuahua
Also, read Jedda's Story - not a Chihuahua, the story of a dog we rescued that was not a Chihuahua!
Chihuahua Rescue Victoria is a non-profit organisation. The advertisement below supports us directly but was not created by us and is in no way endorsed by us. It is presented here by Google Ad Services.
