disabled animals

Readers are Helping Save Disabled Dog, Angel

Posted by Barbara Techel

 

Story by Emma Palmer

Proved they have big hearts by turning out en masse to help save the life of a poorly dog.

More than 100 people and 70 dogs turned out for the Angel Appeal Walk at Langdon Hills Country Park.

The event, which raised the staggering sum of almost £4,000, was organised by animal lovers at Brunswick Kennels, in Laindon, who have been looking after crossbreed dog Angel since she was rescued last month.

Angel suffers from a severe disfigurement which means both her front legs are painfully crooked.

It is not known how the pet came to get the painful condition, but it is thought it was born out of neglect from her past owner.

Read the full story

 

Finding Frankie: Mary Shafer Interviews Author Barbara Techel

Posted by Barbara Techel

When Mary Shafer, freelance writer, marketing consultant, and author of Almost Perfect, Disabled Pets and the People Who Love Them traveled from Pennsylvania and stayed with me in Wisconsin for two days, we did an impromptu interview.  Mary interviewed me on how I found Frankie.  I hope you will enjoy the video as much as I have enjoyed finding Frankie and the journey she has taken me on…. and stay tuned in the future for more segments of Mary’s interview with me where I’ll also talk about marketing and sharing your message/book with others.

 

Special Needs Pet Feature: Charlotte

Posted by Barbara Techel

There are so many caring pet parents out there who take care of special needs pets. To bring more attention to these joyful animals, and extraordinary people, this is a new feature to my blog. If you care for a special needs pet and would like your pet featured, please email me through my website contact.  Send a photo and I will forward the questionnaire for your pet to be featured in an upcoming post.

What is your pets name?
Charlotte

How old is your pet?
She was one month away from 13 on the day she passed away.

Where did you get your pet?
From a local breeder. She was my high school graduation gift. The last words out of the breeder’s mouth were, “None of my dogs have ever had back problems.”

What is your pets physical challenge?
She slipped two disks in her back and lost control of her back legs.

What is your pets favorite thing to do?
She loved to play hide and seek with my dad and go on walks with my mom. Trips to Granny’s were a special treat. She also loved to go to PetSmart. One time, my mom and I took her to pick out a new toy. As we were walking by the guinea pigs she stopped dead in her tracks. “Whoa, what are these,” was the look on her face. Then she looked back at my mom as if to say, “Mom, can I get one?” And my mom replied, “No, Charlotte, you can’t have a guinea pig today.” People all around us laughed.

What is your pets favorite thing to eat?
Whenever my mom would grate cheese, Charlotte would come running. Mom only gave her a tiny bit but she LOVED it.

What do you love most about your pet?
She was my best friend. I could tell her anything.

What has your pet most taught you?

She really had a “I’m so happy to be alive.” attitude. More people should live that way.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Charlotte brought joy to many people. The vet would ask to have her for the day, and they would use her to educate people that pets with special needs can be happy too. One time, I had her out, and a man looked down at her then said to me, “I feel so bad for her. That’s so sad.” I told him don’t feel sorry for her. She was very happy and I’d still put my money on her to chase cats and birds out of the yard. Her disability didn’t define her, it just became a part of her. We all adapted and life was good.
Such a beautiful tribute to Charlotte!  I couldn’t agree more that yes, we adapt, and life is good.  Frankie has absolutely taught me that too.  Thank you for sharing Charlotte with us!