MILLEDGEVILLE — Lots of things are going on at Animal Rescue Foundation. We have a few summer fundraisers that we hope will be successful. This summer is taking a huge toll on us and we are using every penny we have.

Saturday, July 17 from  9 a.m. to noon, ARF will have a Wash Your Paws dog wash. It will be held at the Oconee River Greenway and Riverwalk.

We still need a few volunteers to help, but we have the shampoo, the towels, the water and the kiddy pools. The cost is $15 per dog. Yes, we have rules, which are our rules and the Greenway rules. All dogs must be on a leash and be current on vaccinations.  

We will have our new T-shirts for sale that day, too. They are very cute. They are $20 each. You can see the design on Animal Rescue Foundation’s Facebook page. They come in lime green, pink and royal blue. The design has peace, love, ARF on them.

The third fundraiser is our 2011 calendar. The deadline for calendar picture entries is the end of this month, Friday, July 30. This gives the design team and the printer plenty of time to design the calendar, edit the pictures, place them in the calendar and print them. We want the calendars available for the pet walk in September.

Pictures for the calendar can be e-mailed through our website http://animalrescuefoundation.org

The next fundraiser will be the ARF Pet Walk Saturday, Sept. 18. We will be at the Oconee River Greenway and Riverwalk again this year. The Greenway is a beautiful place and when the rules are followed, animal-friendly.

It seems that lately, we haven’t had a lot of good news. ARF is still in desperate need of money. ARF barely has enough money to pay bills. It’s stressful to know that we have to watch our pennies when we have animals to care for.

We have two of the dogs that were removed from the property on Stembridge Road. Both were positive for heartworms. After they were spayed, neutered and vaccinated, they began heartworm treatment. This additional cost of care is added to the adoption fee for these two dogs. If we had no money worries, we wouldn’t add to the adoption fee, but we always have money worries.

The next sad case came in last week. A family purchased a poodle puppy from a breeder out of state. They purchased the pup on Sunday and by Thursday they were turning the puppy over to ARF because the puppy was sick and wouldn’t eat. First thing we did was take the pup to our veterinarians. The pup did try to eat a little bit, but required fluids and medication. She required intensive care and needed to be encouraged to eat. She was dehydrated, anemic and had no energy reserve. She slept all the time. I took her home with me Saturday to continue this care over the weekend. She died in my lap Saturday night. She just had no will to live. I named her Sadness.   

I don’t like being angry and sad at the same time. It saps all of the hope out of me. I’m sad that the puppy was not able to live a happy life. I’m angry that this breeder didn’t do much for this puppy.

I’m not a fan of breeders. I truly believe many of them are directly responsible for pet over-population. I believe that most breeders sell ‘pet quality’ animals and therefore, the breeder should spay and neuter them before selling them. This would prevent people from breeding them or having ‘accidental breeding’ that causes shelters to be full and many animals to die.

I also understand that some people want a specific breed of dog for a variety of reasons. So, if you are planning on buying a specific breed, know what you are doing and know the breeder.

You may not want to listen to my advice, but at least listen to the AKC. Go to their website: akc.org. In there, go to Future Owners, and then Puppy Buyer Info. On that page, there are two columns; one for breeders and one that says “Before You Buy a Dog.” Under that heading, there is an information sheet called “Printable Puppy Buying Sheet.” Here’s what part of the information sheet says: “Buy your puppy from a responsible and well-respected breeder. This cannot be stressed enough. Responsible breeders are concerned with the betterment of the breed. For example, they work on breeding healthier dogs with the appropriate temperament for their breed. Once you select a breeder, screen the breeder. Ask to see at least one of the parents (the dam or the sire) of your puppy. See how the dogs in your breeder’s home interact with your breeder. Are they friendly and outgoing or do they shy away? The responsible breeder will also be screening you, looking for the best home for each puppy.”

Also under the Before You Buy a Dog section, there is “Hallmarks of a Responsible Breeder.”

Reading this information is vital to purchasing a healthy pet and why pet shops and going online are not where you should buy a puppy.

Families who come to ARF to find a pet seem to want to know the history of our animals. Most of the time, we have no knowledge of the cat or dog’s past. We only know what we have observed, what our caregivers and volunteers have taught the animals and what veterinary care they have received while with us.

Most shelters don’t receive anywhere near the cost of care of an animal through their adoption fees. Many breeders ask for large sums of money for doing very little. Shelters make every effort to find the right person match for the animals while these same breeders sell to anyone who has the money.

I’ve said this in the past and I will say it now: There are reputable breeders in the world. That said, there are way too many breeders who are not.

So, no, I’m not a happy camper right now. ARF needs some positive things tohappen.