2015 Trip

2 days of flying

8 days of traveling

8 states

$45+ in tolls 

2,011 miles driven

59 Rock City Rescue dogs

One amazing, unforgettable trip!

I am beyond thankful for every single one of you that I met along my journey. You made this trip one that I will truly never forget and one I cannot wait to do again! When I first began working with my local kill-shelter here in Arkansas, my mission was simple:  rescue those dogs from their inevitable fate. I never thought about all the families that would be forever changed by one sweet, Arkansas dog. 

That's something I heard, over and over, throughout my trip. How I changed individuals' and families' lives, healed broken hearts, brought joy where it had been lost. I needed that, as much as these families needed love and joy. Rescue is an emotional roller coaster, like none other. It's exhausting and never ending. It takes and takes and rarely gives back all that it's taken. This trip was extremely cathartic for me and despite the lack of rest and relaxation, it was a journey of reconnection. 

From seeing dogs I rescued 4 years ago to seeing dogs I rescued 2 months ago, dogs who have been diagnosed with cancer and I wasn't sure I'd ever get to see again, dogs who I fought for in court, dogs I watched fight for their lives through parvo, dogs that were split up at the kill shelter only to be reunited and adopted together a thousand miles away from where their journey began.  Seeing them again, knowing they're happy and safe, knowing I found families who love them, makes it all worth it to me. 

So, thank you to every single one of you that took time out of your busy lives to meet with me and thank you to everyone who opened up their homes to me. You made this trip incredibly special for me and the 59 pups I got to see again.  And, who knows, hopefully in a few years, I'll get to do this all over again!

"In every dog - and possibly every donkey, kangaroo, or dolphin, there is a chance, often far more than one, for grace, forgiveness and recovery" (Braitman, "Animal Madness"). 

Change A Pets Life Day

Change A Pet's Life Day

Five simple ways to help change a pets life TODAY!

1. Make a donation to Rock City Rescue online here or mail here

(Rock City Rescue, 2513 McCain Blvd, Ste 2, #176, North Little Rock, Arkansas 72116-7606)

2.  Volunteer with Rock City Rescue here

3. Purchase something off our Wishlist

4. Become a Foster family (email rockcityrescue@gmail.com)!

5. Spread the word by sharing our FB page, Twitter, Instagram, and review us here!

#GivingTuesday

After three days of consumption and shopping, it’s time to kick off the giving season! If you didn’t know about GivingTuesday, it is the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, dedicated towards bringing the giving community together.

Please support Rock City Rescue this holiday season by sharing our adoption messages. We have many playful, cuddly dogs and cats looking for their forever homes. As a non-profit rescue group, we rely heavily on our supporters, donors, and volunteers to spread the word about our organization so we can reach as many potential adopters as possible.

To help, simply:
Donate to our CrowdRise Fundraise here.
Like, comment, and share our adoption posts on Facebook.
Retweet and favorite our Tweets on Twitter.
Read and share our blog posts.

#GivingTuesday follows two of the biggest shopping days of the year: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We are hoping to parlay these traditional spending days into a day of donations for the animals. Rock City Rescue plans to promote our #GivingTuesday event throughout our community as a way to raise awareness for homeless dogs and cats during a time when many people are already focused on giving. We want the residents of Central Arkansas, as well as our supporters in the Northeastern United States, to factor in the animals when they think of giving. By giving to RCR, donors help give animals the gift of life, hope and happiness.

ALL of the funds we raise will go directly towards helping shelter animals - including cats and dogs being cared for in our many foster homes. In addition to this, our rescue also helps pay for owned animals in our community to receive food, shelter, and veterinary care that cannot be provided by their owners. We also encourage volunteer participation, educate the public about adoption, vaccinations, spay/neuter, and other animal welfare issues. Being no strangers to hard work, we often make great effort to raise funds for the benefit of specific animals in need.

Rock City Rescue was created to support the animals of Arkansas. Being an independent, non-profit organization, RCR does not receive funds from the government - we are rely solely on your donations to continue saving hundreds of animals' lives every year. 

Let Your Vote Go To The Dogs

Frequently there's legislation related to animals up for a vote. Sadly, here in Central Arkansas the "pit bull" breed, along with "pit mixes" are outright banned in many cities and killed in large numbers simply because of the way they look. It doesn't matter how great their temperament, it doesn't matter if they love people, dogs, and cats..... but because they look a certain way, they are deemed "less than" and are killed in staggering numbers. 

Here at Rock City Rescue, we have quite a few pit bulls and other breeds that have been deemed "dangerous" in the past. We love the underdogs. They have a special place in our heart because we know how insanely amazing they truly are and we pity anyone who looks at our Pit Bulls or Chows and reacts in fear, or even worse, disgust. 

Aurora, Colorado voters will soon decide whether to keep or repeal the city's 2006 pit bull ban, and it could be the most controversial issue on the ballot in that city. We're asking that If you live in Aurora, CO make sure you are voting YES to 2D on Nov 4th!!

Aurora's vote, the first in the nation on a general-election ballot, could presage other public votes on so-called "breed-specific legislation," laws that either ban some types of dogs or require they be sterilized.  This can be a passionate issue on both sides, but please don't engage in Internet debates, especially with haters. It's counterproductive and plays into the drama they are trying to create. If you want to be heard, then vote and get others to join you. For people that can't vote, responsible pit bull owners like us can show our support by posting pictures of us with our good dogs on our profiles followed by ‪#‎coloradogs‬ and ‪#‎mollywouldbanmetoo.

‬ Let's light up FB with a bunch of great people and great dogs!

Aurora, the eyes of the nation are upon you. What you choose to do on November 4th can dramatically chance the landscape of legislation regarding pit bulls, so please, make the right choice.

What's Behind Rescuers That People Don't See

Just because we rescue animals doesn't mean we sit by the phone waiting for it to ring so that we can jump up and save the next dog or cat in need.

Just because we rescue animals doesn't mean that we have more time and money than the next person.

Just because we rescue animals doesn't mean that we can perform miracles and turn that horribly aggressive or horribly abused dog around into beautiful family dogs like they were born to be.
Sometimes we can't save the dog and the outcome isn't the outcome we all dream about.
What people don't see about animal rescuers is:
A house that needs cleaned
Laundry that needs done
Bills that need to be paid
A full time job that is extremely demanding
Errands that have to be run
Our own animals that take the back seat to all the animals in need
Our family who takes a back seat to all the animals in need
Health issues, either ours or a member of our family
Financial struggles
Cars that need oil changes, new tires, etc.
Dentist appointments
Doctor appointments
The lawn that needs mowed
The friend's wedding we are in
The baby shower we're planning
The close family member or friend who has passed away

We are JUST LIKE YOU!!! The only difference is we have an overwhelming calling that we can't ignore to help those who can't help themselves. So when someone calls and says "COME AND GET THIS DOG NOW," that means we are leaving our significant other sitting alone in a restaurant with a 1/2 eaten meal in the empty seat next to them while we rush to help whatever animal needs us next.

That means we have to NOT piss off our paying job by finding someone to help while we are at work and then RUSH out of work right at 5pm to step in. It means that we don't get our laundry done, we don't get our house as clean as we want it, we don't eat dinner until 10pm at night and we go to work tired the next day. All because we have to COME RIGHT NOW!

And to top it all off WE ARE NOT PAID ONE DIME! NOT ONE CENT! And, in the long run we usually lose more money than some people make in a year!

So the next time you are angry because a rescue person can't help, or needs help, or the outcome of an animal that you donated money to doesn't come out with a fairytale ending that you hoped for stop and think COULD YOU DO WHAT WE DO?

COULD YOU SACRIFICE EVERYTHING WE SACRIFICE?
I've heard people complain, "Oh, that poor dog shouldn't be in a kennel for 8 hours a day while the foster is at work or that dog shouldn't be in a foster home for so long; it should already be in a forever home". Think of it this way. Someone sacrificed A LOT so that "poor" animal could be there, alive! And NO it isn't perfect, but it is temporary and necessary.
The alternative is certain death....Which do you think the dog would prefer?

(Adapted from an Animal Anarchy Rescue's FB post)

4 Simple Ways You Can Help A Dog Find A Forever Family

Four Simple Ways You Can Help a Dog Find a Forever Family

Even if you can't foster or volunteer, there are still ways you can help rescues like us out!

• Buy an extra bag of food, treats, or a toy for rescue – many stores have a bin to collect donations for rescue; it doesn’t have to be a lot, just what you can afford. We frequent Hollywood Feed in North Little Rock, AR and they would be happy to hold on to donations for us, OR we also have things listed on our Amazon Wishlist

• Donate old towels and blankets to rescue – towels, blankets, comforters, etc. are ALWAYS in need at our rescue. 

• Share images of adoptable dogs on social media – I’m not talking about all the horror stories you see frequently on Facebook, I’m referring to the ones that help a dog find a home. Sharing our dog's photo albums can help tremendously in finding them forever homes. 

• Inquire about sponsoring an event to promote rescue – Any help we can get in setting up events and fundraisers helps us out greatly! 

Top Ten Reasons to Foster a Rescued Dog!

Top Ten Reasons to Foster a Rescued Dog!

Lots of Choice

Whether you go to the local shelter or a rescue organization, there are many dogs to choose from. Big, small and everything in between, between 20-30% of the dogs you will find here are actual pedigreed breeds. There is bound to be a dog with the personality to match your lifestyle.


Fixed and Ready to Go

Any county-run shelter or certified rescue group will have given all of the necessary shots to the dog as well as spayed or neutered it. Some shelters will have your dog microchipped and treated for fleas, as well. Normally these are all additional fees on top of the fee to purchase the puppy if you were to buy from a private party or breeder.


Puppyhood

Anyone that has ever gotten a new puppy knows that you are in for some sleepless nights. The new puppy, away from its litter is extremely lonely, and it shows this by howling all throughout the night. It has no idea where an appropriate place to do its business is, and it likes to chew on everything. A grown dog has already gone through the trials of puppyhood, and gotten a lot of its mischief out of its system.


Easier to Train

You don't have to take the time to train them and discipline them because many times they've already been through it in their foster care, or at their previous household. If they have not been trained in certain ways, then the amount that they take to pick things up is greatly reduced due to the socialization that they go through.


Find an Instant Companion

Many of these dogs have had a less than stellar life, ending up in shelters or rescue groups due to neglect or worse. A dog with a poor start in their life experience is more eager to be a part of a loving household and will be more apt to bond with its new-found owner, much more quickly than a puppy.


No Surprises

With a puppy, there is always somewhat of a mystery as to how they will age into a grown dog. Many are surprised at how large they can get, others by how they appear as a puppy compared to how they look as an adult. With a rescue, you already know what your dog's personality is, right off the bat.


Not Supporting a "Puppy Mill"

When you adopt from a shelter or rescue organization, you support an effort to put puppy mills out of business. A puppy mill is a strictly for profit, inhumane breeder that have their dogs in deplorable conditions in small cages. They breed pedigrees that are genetically defective and unhealthy.


Good Life Lesson


Adopting a rescue dog is also a great opportunity to teach any children that you may have in your life about the importance of getting a second chance. Being compassionate towards an animal that didn't have a great start in life is a great life lesson to learn.


Save a Life

Many of the shelters just don't have the capacity to let their animals live out their lives within their care. After a set amount of time, these shelters will put their animals on what some call the "Red List," which means that they have a short time left before they must euthanize them. Rescuing a dog saves two lives--the dog you rescued and the dog that can take your dog's spot at the shelter.


Improve Your Mood

Knowing that you have done a good thing by supporting adoption is excellent in itself, but your new dog will also have an effect on your physical, emotional and psychological health. Your new furry friend will undoubtedly improve your mood.


Read more: Top Ten Reasons to Adopt a Rescue Dog | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6848561_top-reasons-adopt-rescue-dog.html#ixzz2QkIWiQKg