A gorgeous Pit Bull available for rescue at Huntsville Animal Services

Last night, I was chatting back and forth with one of the many great friends I have made after becoming involved in animal rescue when it dawned on me the similarities I possess to one of the most debatable dog breeds to date; the pit bull.  That’s right, I said it….PIT BULL.  So many people get upset when you discuss this breed.  It really is a shame because all it boils down to is a lack of knowledge and understanding.  That is exactly how I feel; misunderstood.

A little over two months ago, I literally thrust myself into animal rescue.  I wanted to help and had thought about it for so long.  Luckily, I was fortunate to meet a great network of people who understood the difference I wanted to make in this world, all be it small in so many ways, it is still a difference.  Something a lot of people may not realize is there are many different aspects of animal rescue ranging from shelter help to rescues and even advocating change in the animal world through the legislative government.  Myself, I chose a local level within my city.  I chose to volunteer with the city animal shelter.  So, since there is an elephant in the room, we may as well go ahead and introduce it.  YES, I volunteer for a local shelter where euthanasia is a part of what we do.  So, here lies the debate.

It is no hidden fact that in the United States, millions of animals are put to death each and every year because there is simply an overpopulation of pets.  Is our shelter any different?  I like to think so.  We are fortunate to have on staff a wonderful director and a great group of employees that work under her.  I am here to tell you that these people love these animals.  I have seen the passion, the concern and the love they have for these animals first hand.  However, sometimes we must all face the music of what we do.  Our entity is titled as “animal control”.  Anytime you are dealing with animal control rather than simply an animal shelter, euthanasia will be a part of your operation.  There are many sick or injured animals taken into the shelter that can not be adopted out to the public for a myriad of reasons.  What is a shelter to do with these animals?  The cold hard fact is they have to be put down.  And whether people can see the facts or not, sometimes it’s just better for the animal rather than the suffering it would endure.  It’s comparable to a nurse “pulling the plug” on a patient that will be in suffering the remainder of their life after an unfortunate accident.  Even worse than that, the truth of the matter is there are also times where animals must be euthanized simply because there isn’t enough room.

Many people have asked me “how can you associate with a shelter that kills animals”?  Well first of all, it literally INFURIATES me for someone to make a harsh statement like that making everyone at the shelter look like cold blooded killers.  I am associated with a shelter that euthanizes animals, not kills them.  And yes, in my honest opinion there is a difference; pretty much all in how it’s worded.  I know this is a can of worms that could be opened and debated until we are all blue in the face.  I am just telling you how I feel.  We love these animals and it would be great if we could save them all, but the reality is that until everyone gets on board and spays or neuters their pets, euthanasia will continue to be an integral part of animal control.

With that said, I must say I get incredibly offended when people tell me how bad our shelter is for what they do.  I couldn’t even begin to count the times someone has told me they would never take an animal to the shelter because “they will just kill them”.  I’m out to spread the word to people that it is not always the case.  Many times, based on a bad situation an animal may be in, it’s far better off to go to the shelter and get adopted into a better home.  And better yet, it would be spayed or neutered thus making it incapable of contributing to pet overpopulation.  I’m out to tell people we are not bad people just sitting around waiting to kill any animal you bring to the shelter.  Believe it or not, it is actually the last thing we want to see happen.  We are arguably the most misunderstood entity in animal rescue.  We are the pit bull of animal rescue.

I just ask that before you criticize me for what I do or who I am associated with, take a deep look into the good of what we are trying to accomplish.  I have two dogs of my own (both shelter dogs) that I love so much.  Every time I hear of an animal being euthanized, the first thing I see in my mind is the faces of my two wonderful dogs who have made my life better.  It saddens me to know that the animal being put down is being taken the chance of making a human soul complete.  Despite what many may think, I have feelings for the ones we lose.   So I ask that next time you want to hate me for what I do, think logically about what I am doing.  Understand me and my actions.  And just as the saying goes with pit bulls, “hate the deed, not the breed”, I ask that you hate the deed of euthanasia, not the people who must be involved with it.

Merry Christmas!

These videos are awesome. Crank up the volume and enjoy!

Twas The Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the town,
Everyone seemed happy, not even a frown.
The stores were all busy, making sales by the minute,
Last minute shopping, maxing out the credit card limit.

He watches them all as he sits all alone,
Thinking of his family, his wife and his son,
He knows they are home, and will soon be asleep,
But he’ll be out all night, proudly walking the beat.

He’s part of the few, who gladly sacrifice,
He’s willing to pay that ultimate price,
He cares what happens out on the street,
So you and your loved ones can sleep in peace.

He’s not the only one, there are a few more,
Who devote their lives, for those they adore
They are the ones, who you will call,
If you have trouble, have a fire, or a fall.

They will be out there all through the night,
Serving and protecting, accepting the fight.
So this Holiday Season, please don’t forget,
The men and women, who you, they protect

Thank you Betty Crocker®! ha
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1:30 min
Makes 2 dozen cookies (you will need to make more…they are that good!)

What you need:

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) chocolate chip cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
24 round chewy caramels in milk chocolate, from 3 (1.91-oz) rolls, unwrapped (ROLO’s)
72 mini marshmallows (about 3/4 cup)
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray.

2. Make cookie dough as directed on package, using butter and egg. Shape dough into 24 (1 1/2-inch) balls. Place 1 ball into each muffin cup.

3. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove from oven; firmly press 1 candy into center of each cookie until flush with cookie top. Top each with 3 marshmallows. Bake 2 to 4 minutes longer or until marshmallows are puffed. Cool 10 to 15 minutes. Loosen edges of cookie with small metal spatula and remove to cooling racks. Cool completely.

4. Place chocolate chips in small resealable freezer plastic bag. Microwave on High about 1 minute or until softened. Gently squeeze bag until chocolate is smooth; cut off tiny corner of bag. Squeeze bag to drizzle chocolate over marshmallows. Let stand until hardened, about 10 minutes.

5. Eat until you are sick.
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There will be no eating just one or two of these little guys. So just prepare yourself for some of the best cookies ever. Thank you Betty Crocker® for sharing this with my wife. Thank you Emily for feeding me. Ha.

Every year about 6-7 million animals enter homeless animal shelters all across this great nation. Unfortunately, only 2-3 million of those make it out alive. This past week, I have begun to get more involved locally in helping to find some of these homeless animals a forever and loving home.

Now, I know there will be some people reading this who don’t agree with me on this topic. If anything I say offends you then I’m sorry. That is why we have opinions….you have yours, I have mine. So please, if you feel so inclined to hear my opinion, read on.

Ace, my adopted shelter friend

In March of 2007, I did something that literally changed my life. I adopted my dog Ace from a local homeless animal shelter. I had originally wanted a small chihuahua type dog but when I went to the shelter they didn’t have anything I was interested in. I have heard people say for years that if you go to a shelter and spend some time there, a dog will pick you. As cliché as it may sound, I have to say this is true. As I was walking back toward the door, this little black and white puppy reached through his cage and grabbed me by the foot. How was I supposed to turn that down? Long story short, I went back the next day and picked up my new little buddy.

Ever since that day, Ace has grown to be one of my best friends. They don’t call dogs “man’s best friend” for nothing. He is truly a great companion and is many times simply the highlight of my day. I could go on for days explaining how Ace has changed my life, but that isn’t the point of this blog. The point is to get you to understand how many animals are out there that would love to share life with you and have a forever home. They really don’t ask for much…food, water, shelter, play time. They just want their life spared. It’s a sad deal, but many dogs are put to sleep every day in this world because there simply isn’t enough room for them at the shelters.

Last week, myself along with a small group of others joined together through our local animal shelter and created a facebook page to help get some of these homeless animals adopted. I am happy to say that so far it has been a hit. Just in our first week, we have been able to find homes for four dogs. This may not seem like much, but for me it means a lot. And I know it means even more to those four dogs who have a forever home. My goal was to save the life of ten animals in the first month using our page. It looks like we will more than surpass that goal. It truly is heart warming.

Now you may be asking “why adopt a shelter dog?”. Quite simply, you are saving a life. I have already heard it all from different people….”I will only have a full blooded (insert breed name here) dog”. Well I’m here to tell you, you just might be surprised with what you may find if you go to your local shelter. Just this week I was able to help coordinate placement of a dog in the shelter that is full blooded Rottweiler. There are heartless people who have these dogs and just dump them at the shelter because they don’t want them anymore. So I have told that to some people who fire back and say “Well if I’m going to have a dog, it better have papers”. Why? If you are going to breed the dog I can somewhat understand. I say somewhat because I don’t support people who breed dogs and sell them for ridiculous amounts of money. Maybe I’m wrong to say it, but I see that as a puppy mill. Once again ….MY opinion. Other than that, why does your dog need papers? I’ve never met a dog that can read (lol). Even so, I have papers for my dog from the shelter. My papers say that I saved a life. Sometimes I let Ace read them when he gets bored.

If you are reading this and are local to us, please check us out on facebook by clicking the link at the bottom of this blog. Join up, send it to all your friends and post pictures of animals looking for a home. The power of social networking is amazing! If you are not local to us, I would like to ask that you form a group and get together with your local animal shelter and do the same thing we are doing. You can also do like myself and contact your local shelter about volunteering. I plan to do this once a week and I know it will be very rewarding. Please, find it in your heart to give a homeless animal a home. Taking in one homeless animal may not change the world, but it will surely mean the world to that one animal.

Check out the link below to visit and join the Friends of Huntsville Animal Services Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1641570674394&set=a.1135269937192.21462.1090629719#!/pages/Friends-of-Huntsville-Animal-Services/134822916572632

Thanks to Church on the Move

Are you serious? Did you just really do that?

1 People in the gym who grunt really loud while lifting weights. Really? Do you have to make all that noise?

2 People who talk on the phone or text while they are working out/running on the treadmill. Yes I know someone who does this. I won’t name names.

3 When someone walks around in the locker room naked. Really? I know it is a locker room and all, but, that towel that is over your shoulder, I can think of a much better use for it.

4 People that sing out loud while running or working out. SHUT UP! YOU CAN’T SING!!!!!!!!

(wow, I’ll try to get away from the gym part haha)

5 Someone who moves a vacuum cleaner over a small piece of thread again and again? Why don’t you just pick it up! Oh wait you just did, examined it and then put it back down and moved the vacuum cleaner over it to try again. JUST THROW IT AWAY!!!!!

6 When a stranger comes in the bathroom and tries to start up a conversation with you. Really? Leave, now.

7 When someone calls you and then has a longer conversation with someone in the room with them. I’m hanging up now, GOODBYE!

8 People who put their phone up to the stupid radio and record a song for their voice mail, a really long song. I’m sorry, are we in the 5th grade?

9 Someone who turns the light off while you are in the bathroom stall. Again, middle school? This makes me want to punch them in the kidney.

10 Someone who stops the elevator doors from closing, gets on, then holds the doors open to finish their conversation with someone not riding the elevator. I wish the doors would just close on your arm.

Now for some that give me a little road rage….just a little.

11 Of course the usual, people who drive slow in the left hand lane.

12 People who pull out in front of you when you are the only person on the road and slow down.

13 People who refuse to use their blinker when there are others behind them. Instead, they just stomp on the brakes while giving me a mild heart attack.

14 People who use their blinker, just never turn. I HATE YOU!

15 When you pull up next to me and I can’t carry on a conversation with someone in my car because your music is so loud. I hope your ears start bleeding. (Why are you calling me mean? You know we all think this same thing.)

16 When someone is tailgating me and I hit the brakes, then they get mad at me. Really?

17 When I’m tailgating someone and they hit the brakes. (ha)

18 Someone who starts slowing down 3 miles before their turn, all the while there is a perfectly good turning lane that no one is using. Idiots.

19 And we’ve all seen this moron, the idiot who starts backing up in the middle of the road because they missed their turn. Really? Are you serious?

20 I hate to see people who have offensive bumper stickers. This is one of my biggest peeves. I understand you want to show how you feel, but really, maybe the rest of the world doesn’t care about your opinion. Much less now that you don’t have enough respect for other drivers that you would put something like that on your car. Makes me want to spray paint over it, hopefully I won’t get any on their car. If so, oh well.

There you have it. 20 things that make me say, “Are you serious?”. Hopefully this will make someone smile today. Hope it doesn’t give you more rage just thinking about it. If it does, at least take it out on one of the morons above. If you are one of the dummies mentioned above, stop. Stop being a dummy. No one likes a dummy.

Don’t be a topic.

Thank you for reading “Health Tips From Adam”. There will be more to come!

Adam

Just want to throw out a Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and let you guys know we are still alive. I know how everyone has been so worried since you haven’t heard from us in a while, but we have been a little busy. Between work, school, family, and babies (or baby) there hasn’t been a lot of time for writing. But, we promise to get back to work soon.
So enjoy your time today with family and friends, remember what you are thankful for today, and don’t forget about the ones who are sacrificing their time so we can spend this day together.

Happy Thanksgiving