Jackson Update

Sorry, no pictures in this one. . .

Jackson is doing great, thanks to all who have so generously donated to his medical fund. He still has a long way to go before he is completely better, but he is starting to look (and act) more like a dog every day. His skin infection is finally starting to clear. He still has some areas that need daily treatment, and he still needs regular baths, but most of the yellow crustiness is gone. His treatment for the demodex (non-contagious skin mite) will be on-going for quite some time, but he takes his medication faithfully. It seems that his eye infection is cleared up, but he continues to need artificial tears as the skin around his eyes is still badly scarred.

Jackson's personality has really started to show in the past few days. It seems that he is not a "morning person" and would prefer to sleep past the alarm buzzing. Once he is awake, he has a voracious appetite! This little guy LOVES food. Its nice to see him putting some much needed weight onto his skinny little frame. Jackson has a tail that just won't quit wagging. Now that the hair is starting to sprout back on it he wags it proudly! He seems to like everyone he meets and doles out kisses to anyone who gets close enough. Jackson does well with the hustle and bustle of the office and doesn't seem to mind the frequent comings and goings of all the dogs. He also doesn't seem to mind the cats! (Actually, I think that he likes the cats because they always seem to be spilling bits of food for him to clean up!)

Just like the majority of the animals that come through our door, Jackson has brought more joy to us then we could ever give back to him. He is a constant source of amusement and fun. And his willingness to cuddle comes in handy when "rescue work" gets overwhelming. I know that Jackson will be with us for a while more, bit I am already a bit sad that he will eventually leave us. But Jackson deserves a great family - one that will take care of him and treat him like the little king that he is deep down inside. I just hope that his new family understands that we will *require* regular Jackson updates and frequent visits! We want Jackson kisses!!!!

Jackson is an amazing little guy with a story I wish I knew. I found Jackson on Wednesday at the Berkeley Animal Shelter while I was out temp testing dogs. While there were many available dogs at the shelter, there were none that fit into our program at the moment. And while I did not take Jackson home with me right away, I made a mental note to tell my ED about him. Once she heard about him, I knew that HAR would take him in! Little did I know that she would fall in love herself and foster him in her own home.

Jackson is somewhere between 9 months and 1 1/2 years old. He is probably a pure bred Yorkie, but it is obvious that he was poorly bred. He has a genetic (non-contagious) skin condition called Demodectic Mange. This is what has caused his massive hair loss. And while demodex doesn't itch, it still causes skin irritation which has contributed to his secondary skin infection. This mite/infection has made it's way to his eyes causing some corneal scaring. Jackson also has a malformed jaw which caused him to retain many of his baby teeth and which also causes his tongue to hang out constantly.

Jackson looks like a mess. . . and probably feels like a mess. His medical bills are adding up quickly and he still has a long way to go before he gets better. If you would like to read more about Jackson, or if you would like to donate to his medical fund, please click here.

Adopt-a-ton

Our friends over at the East Bay SPCA are hosting a HUGE adoption event. It is called the



Summer of Love Adopt-a-thon






It will be helf Sunday, July 19th in Jack London Square from 10am-3pm.



We, at Hopalong Animal Rescue, will have cats and kittens, and dogs and puppies.



We hope that you will stop by and say hi. . .or will perhaps meet and fall in love with a new furry family member.

Economy In Crisis

One day a father and his daughter are walking on the beach. They come across thousands of starfish washed up on the shore. The little girl begins to throw them back into the water. Her father says, "Don't bother, dear, it won't make any difference". Surprised the little girl looks at her father and then down at the starfish in her hand and says,"It will make a difference to this one."


Everywhere we look, we see the effects of the economy. I am getting more and more requests from people who are loosing their homes asking us to take in their animals. We are also getting more and more requests from shelters asking us for help. We are trying our best to help as many people, and their animals, as we can. But we often find ourselves turning people away. We simply cannot help everyone. And it is during these times that it is easy to become depressed. We easily forget all the happy stories of the hard luck animals finding their forever homes. But, the truth is that HAR has adopted out almost 250 animals this year. That is two hundred and fifty cats, dogs, kittens, and puppies that have found wonderful loving homes that wouldn't have been able to do so without the help of the staff and the dedicated volunteers and fosters. And while it is true that we can't help everyone, we are still making a difference in the lives of MANY animals each and every day.