Rico the foster dog- the journey continues...

Please click here to adopt or donate to help Rico from Second chance animal rescue of NYC

Hi all,  This post began at the End of September 2012 after my return from a trip to NJ was interrupted...the nature of events were so difficult for me emotionally i could not finish this post until today Jan 7th, 2013...so here goes:

there have been many of you asking me how it's going with Rico and how is he?...so in answer to that is this post:

Last week (end of Sept 2012)  I was away and as pre-approved by rescue Rico and my own two previously adopted rescued dogs were boarded at local pet sitters home- this is the same sitter who had them before (all of them, even Rico) and the same sitter who said she Loved Rico and had said she wanted to speak to her family about them adopting him....

Well, i was 6+ hours and over $80. in Gas & tolls away and i got a call from the petsitter...her exact words were: 'come get your dogs, Rico Killed my 4 year old daughter's cat, they can't stay here- you must come right now and get them; my husband wants to kill Rico and right now Rico is out in my sister's car to keep my husband away from him'.

All I could say was 'HOW could this happen?', " Where you Home?" Wasn't Rico in the Crate i supplied?, "DID you SEE Rico Kill your cat?" the answers were not straightforward, lots of sidestepping- seems that NO one was home for the entire day, Rico was not put in his crate as i directed and NO one Saw Rico Kill her daughters cat...And there were animals there besides mine owned by other 'customers' who could have very well been the culprits, BUT it seems to me RICO is being blamed because he is Part Pit bull...

Rico was amazing with my animals, 'our' cat and Rico slept together on same bed, drank out of same dish, there was NEVER any aggression from Rico towards our cat....The only thing Rico ever did was lay his front end on floor and put his butt up in air with tail wagging away thinking cat would 'play' with him...

In answer to my 'how could this happen question the pet-sitter claimed Rico and all the other dogs & pets in her house had been left without human supervision for a few hours and when the husband came home he found Rico with some cat fur in his mouth and the cat dead...all this proves is that rico might have sniffed the cat or pushed it with his muzzle to see why it wasn't moving-after something else killed it or it just died from some other cause = like maybe medical?

My head spun in all kinds of directions like: WHAT???? NO supervision? why wasn't Rico in the CRATE i brought over there for him?  Where was everyone? What other animals where there? how do you know it was Rico?

He was amazing with all my animals, but then I never let him loose in house without me being right there to supervise and 'instruct' him on how to behave....after all this dog was scooped straight off the streets of NYC and into a KILL shelter with little or no manners...just a big puppy heart and lots of energy....He was Gentle or Ignored my Cats, and payed no mind to my little bird- just sniffed cage and when i said NO he walked away...

AND

 He always was a softie towards anyone or any creature, he just wanted to "play" with Me and my Dogs, and would sniff my cats-if it 'looked' like he might want more then that...and I preventatively corrected him with  "RICO NO, Leave the cat alone" in stern voice he would look at me and stop, usually he would come over to me wagging his tail and looking like he wanted 'forgiveness'....

This made me so sad, and it has taken me 2 months to finish this draft for my blog to tell about this horrible event or lack of...

I had to drive back to VT from NJ and get my pets from this woman's home, all of whom were tied outside withing reach of each other - like if RICO was some animal killer why would she tie him with overlapping reach with my 14# little rat terrier mix or my boxer?  Just made no sense to me- the whole thing ,,,what kind of 'pet sitter' leaves shelter dog IN TRAINING out of its supplied crate for 8+ hours with animals it isn't familiar with- or for that matter, why were her cats left to roam area where my dogs, her dogs, and other customers dogs were kept????

I felt terrible for this young woman and her child for loosing their cat, but I am in no way convinced it was because of Rico, and I think it is totally HER fault for mismanagement of her duties as a pet sitter....NOT to mention her calling me to come home from a trip and tying my dogs outside to wait for 8+ hours while i drove home to VT to get my pets & my foster boy...

I had no idea what to do with Rico now that this happened and I had to go back to NJ, I couldn't afford to board all my dogs at a kennel & Rico too. so I boarded Rico and took my dogs with me to NJ...I asked the rescue to please find another foster for Rico, on the slight chance He did kill this cat I couldn't risk my own cat's life, the lives of my bunnies or my foster kitties lives -

Rico was taken to a Rescue affiliated Kennel in NH where he is waiting adoption to a NO CAT home.  I pray he will find a good home who will love him and provide all he needs, I do know all i think of when i see him in my minds eye is the sweet big puppy-boy who followed me all over the house and yard, rolled over on his back in submission around my other animals when they sniffed him, and did nothing but make me fall in love with him.

I am told Rico is receiving obedience training and that he is doing well with no issues.
If you are interested in giving this once Death row Doggie a REAL HOME in a house with a loving 'Mom' &/or 'Dad' please contact me for an adoption application.

----------------------------February 5th 2013---------------------------
Update- I spoke with the woman who runs the kennel where Rico was temporarily residing after the 'cat' issue...seems he was 'adopted' 3 or so months ago (nobody told me) and that NOW he was Back at the kennel because his NEW people were getting divorced and they couldn't find apartment where they could keep dogs part pitbull...Discrimination...for sure... Now sweet Rico is Again awaiting a 'furever' home- please if you have your own home or landlord is doggie friendly please contact second chance animal rescue NYC  = and ask about application to adopt Rico; the link to their rescue is on my blog menu...God please help sweet Rico get a really super-terrific home with awesome people who will never desert or abandon him...amen.
please click here to fill out application to adopt Rico, he is a wonderful dog- please don't let him stay in a Kennel, he is so good in the house and a real sweet boy...if you can't adopt him could you consider sending a donation of any amount to help second chance rescue? they save so many dogs off death row in NYC shelters...thank you

Update from Rico the amaxing foster dog saved from death row by second chance animal rescue and my foster mom in VT

Hi Everyone, I'm Rico the amazing foster dog! 

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!  

It's been raining here all day but I managed to get out
and play & walk several times anyways....
My foster mom says I'm such a good boy...
She tells me that all day long! 

I am a really happy go lucky boy;
I love it here in Vermont it's so much better then the 'shelter' in NYC
where I was rescued from...
I am recovering from being 'fixed' and
waiting to go to my forever home...

Are you interested in adopting me or another awesome dog from second chance rescue ?  

If you have room in your heart to adopt me or another wonderful rescued dog
go ahead and fill out an application to adopt through second chance rescue....

If you can't adopt me maybe you can foster a dog till it can find a forever home?...
Or maybe you are looking for a worthy non- profit Dog Rescue to donate to?  Here is a link to Second chance Rescue's how to donate info page....just scroll down page to the paypal donate button...(Thanks in advance from me Rico and my fellow canines in need)

I highly recommend that you check out second chance rescue...
also you might look at some 'potential' adoptive or foster dogs who really need a home then check out 'Urgent death row dogs' on facebook- sign up as a 'fan' and see who tugs at your heart..if you find a dog you want to foster or adopt copy down it's NY ACC ID # and what shelter he is at and contact second chance so they can PULL that dog off death row....

Us doggies are ever so grateful for your help....
thanks!

The amazing adventures or Ricco the Foster dog Day 2

Rico is smiling!  

Scooter far R, Rico Left front, Sugar-ray's rear -rear!

Just so you know, this is not a 'complete' or totally sequential journal of Rico's adventures, I mean if it were, i would never be able to get up from computer cause I'd be so busy typing- Rico would have no adventures, right? Right!

So brief recap; Ricco was one of the lucky ones, He was pulled from the Urgent Death row list of Animal Care & Control of NYC (AC&C) by 2nd Chance Rescue* the morning he was to be euthanized, -Just the night before Received a call from one of the 2nd chance angel's who alerted me to Ricco needing emergency rescue. I looked at the photos and text about Ricco and prayed, called back the "2nd chance angel" and said I would be willing to foster him 2-3 weeks so he would live and get a new 'leash' on life.  Yesterday Ricco arrived here and we had a successful first day. (read yesterdays post fmi)

Rico L, Scooter Middle, Sugar-Ray R...

Sugar-Ray standing; Rico Rolling in laughter on ground!

Ok so it's Day 2 of Ricco's amazing adventures...I woke up, dressed, got Ricco's leash and out of his crate and outside to potty first thing in the morning.......Ricco's leash mannerisms; well i would describe them as a cross between a greyhound mid race and a wild bull scrambling down the streets of Spain mid festival...  He is a very happy and upbeat boy....he is just sooo excited to be 'free'!  I continue to re-enforce the sit/stay on leash and the 'attempts' at sit/stay/ok now heel...We walk on leash to fenced in area, and once inside with gate closed, Ricco stops pulling and is a perfect gentleman on the leash...humn...My 'theory', perhaps being here in Vermont is so different from Park Ave NYC where he was picked up as a stray that not being at all accustomed to the 'sounds' of quiet (crickets, birds, wind blowing in trees) Ricco can only 'calm down' when he is 'Safe' from all the crickets, birds and wind, loose in the surrounding woods and pastures! lol...

Sugar-Ray L, Rico R...

Oh and let me tell you- Rico is a gentle doll...yea the leash stuff is a work in progress, but he is a gentle 'how can i please you' kinda dog...this morning was my first time of giving him his 2.5 pills for his kennel cough condition; I put some chunky peanut butter on a spoon, folded it over the pills and put it on my fingers (yea i know what you're thinking- but based on unmentioned things with him i knew it would be fine)  Ricco licked off the peanut butter so gently i could only smile and be glad this gentle doll is now going to be able to get healthy, be loved, and enjoy life!  Thank you God and thank you to all those who work so hard to save this dog and ones like him...

Ok so , Rico eats breakfast in his crate, goes out to do potty, his cage has not been soiled once, nor has he pawed around his food and water dishes so the cage is spotless...Good house manners...yea Rico!  

Hey, did you hear that? 

some time and other activities transpire and then we are ready to talk all the dogs outside to fenced area for short supervised visit...Rico is a riot; so gleeful and sweet, he rolls and rolls upside down on the grass over and over again with happy face and funny snorts of joy...my guys look on, of course they have already smelled all the 'important' doggie parts before hand and done some initial settling in...the 3 of them seem to be enjoying themselves, I'm still being cautious and not letting them be unsupervised, also a couple of 're-directive words' to settle them down a bit when things get a little too rompy..is that a word? rompy? lol

Look at that Handsome Profile! 

All back in- a while later all back out, same as above.  I took some photos earlier, i will post some here, Rico is the adorable black and white Lab looking boy with the happy face and waggy tail...(his listing with NY AC&C said he was a pit mix but I fail to see anything pit looking about his body type other then a long tail (that black labs all have) ...so who knows; but my doggie IQ says black lab mix 

aerial view-Ricco 8 30 12

Ok that's it for now, off do to some people stuff...
Enjoy the photos

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 *To learn more about 2nd Chance rescue visit their website: http://nycsecondchancerescue.org/

To view the list of Urgent death row dogs that need saving; please visit https://www.facebook.com/Urgentdeathrowdogs

sugar and rico- aerial view

I recommend if you are thinking/praying about fostering or adopting a death row dog, please fill out your application now, because it will take a bit of time for the rescue to process your application and do your home inspection and interview...and all this MUST be done before they would be able to PULL a dog off the Urgent list for you to foster or adopt.

Also from my experience, I had no luck in getting anyone at NY AC&C to answer the phone, or even return email when I first felt led to 'save' a dog off their list...SO as it turns out I found out there are certain non-profit rescues who can save these dogs during the small window of time when the 530-6pm death row list of the night is posted and when the shelter starts killing early the next morning- so it's my experience Don't waste valuable time contacting NY AC&C; I found out about 2nd chance rescue through a friend and have nothing but praise and admiration for their dedication to saving these doggies...
so if you want to help; either by tax deductible donation or if you wish to foster or adopt a death row doggie, contact them -http://nycsecondchancerescue.org/ fill out their application and SPECIFY the name of dog, it's # and what shelter it is at...

BTW, Sugar Ray (my adopted boy) was given a new 'leash' on life through me via Associated Humane Society of Newark NJ's Adoption program....that place is filled with awesome dogs and run by THE most Awesome people, Lovey, Debbie, Anthony...you are all HEROS!  see their links on petfinder...

Again, I recommend if you are interested in fostering or adopting a death row doggie please fill out an application at http://nycsecondchancerescue.org/app-form/

That's the END

 (of today's post!)