Have  happy and safe July 4th!
As a mother AND mother-in-law to two members of our United States Air Force, I have a renewed appreciation for the price of our freedom.  
I joined Blue Star Mothers of America this year in an effort to know how to best support my Air men.

Meet our latest rescue. I am still searching for the right name. She was dropped off at a shelter in Elisabeth, NC with 4 other small dogs. They had all been kept outside and did not get heart worm prevention. This Pom girl was the only one of the five that contracted heart worms. Heart worm treatment can be risky and expensive. We will be needing help for her treatment. We may be going for the long term treatment, that will not be as dangerous or expensive, but that will mean she will need to stay here indefinitely. If we go with the riskier, faster treatment it will be more expensive but she could be adoptable in 2-3 months. This is a decision yet to be made. Right now she has a case of kennel cough, so everything else will have to wait until she gets over that.

Remember skinny, hairless, sick, little Mattie? Well look at this bathing beauty now!! She has come a LONG way since Feb! Thanks to Mandy and Lisa for giving her the very best home we could have imagined.

Annie was adopted to a wonderful couple that recently lost their Pom of fifteen years. She will help their hearts to heal.

Here is the link- can you tell I am still shaking???  This is the puppy mill where so many of our mill babies came from. My Tracker Jack, Jackie, and Trapper. Linda’s Sassy Pants, BeBe and Bubba just to name a few. Our Karen L was very involved in this case and has some of the rescued Poms too.

 It has been four years.  Somebody LISTENED!!!!

 Animal Rescue - The Fight to Save 300 Dogs - Oprah.com  

Animal Legal Defense Fund : Oprah Profiles ALDF v. Woodley—Rescue Redux

I keep seeing Tracker Jack dancing his ‘happy Pommie dance’ over this incredible news. I sat down this afternoon and put together some of my memories of Jack.  Sweet old boy- I will never forget………………………….

PomRescue.com was proud to participate in the protest against puppy mills on May 9, 2009,  at the shopping center that has PetLand as a tenant in Charlotte NC.  There was a large crowd and there were many car horns and waves in support of the protest. We protest because:

We are sons and daughters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, brothers, sisters, friends, caretakers, and yes, some days we are WARRIORS! Spreading the news that puppy mills keep prisoners of greed. That pet stores and Internet sites that sell puppies can hide behind faces of deceit. We must awaken a nation that it is no longer acceptable to treat helpless animals in such a manner. Mass breeding, crowded, inhumane conditions, a life of misery will no longer be tolerated. We, the HUMANE of HUMANITY must demand better of ourselves. One day we will look back with horror at our acceptance of conditions of cruelty and inhumane treatment of our animals. Elaine Harris
 

How could somebody lose a Tank? Well, that is what happened to this little boy. He was found wandering in a field, so heavy and matted, he had trouble walking. A good Samaritan took him to the Columbus NC shelter. They tried to find him a home, but his time there was running out. We were contacted and I knew right away that Tank was somebody special. There was just something about him.
Our friend and PomRescue.com member, Tish, saw him in our video and knew immediately that he was the one for her. She had lost her rescue boy, Fozzie, a while back. Tish and Turbo had since felt an emptiness in their house. 
Tank has now made himself at home with them in sunny Florida. What a happy boy he is!!!

Here are some happy pics of BayLee aka DandyLion on the day of her adoption.

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Some more HAPPY pics from Simone of Penny(now know as Cola) and her new sibling, Journey.

A blog note from Elaine:
Well our puppies are gone. Dabbing at my eyes, I fold up the puppy pen and put away the toys. Wash out the puppy pans and put away the newspaper. The house seems so quiet. No little pounding of tiny paws on the floor. No squeaky little barks ring in the air.  A sense of calm has settled in. Mollie walks from room to room, searching.

I pick her up and we comfort each other. She slept snuggled up next to my legs last night. Seeking warmth and reassurance. Rescuers are NOT suppose to get so attached……. but we do. After a month of puppy antics and joyful laughter we reluctantly acknowledge that in order for them to be all they can be - we have to let go.
One went to my friend in Michigan to bring his sunshine and and laughter to her heart and home. One went to RockHill SC to bring harmony and sweetness to her new Mom and Bichon sister. The very last one traveled to Georgia to bring her playfulness and hope to her new best friend. Each home and family was carefully and thoughtfully picked as to be the very best fit  for their people and the pups.

Would I have like to keep them all? You betcha! And yes, my heart is sore. But another day will come, another call, and we will be off to help the next ones that need us. That is what we do.           
Elaine Harris
          

Elaine, Sharon, and Melinda go to the Cherokee County Animal Shelter on Fridays to take videos of the neediest dogs for adoption. Chris Cato of WSPA News Channel 7, came out to highlight the program.
Shelter Dogs Saved From Euthanasia Through Operation Snowball | WSPA

Link to Cherokee County Humane Society adoptable animals
Cherokee County Animal Shelter, Gaffney, SC: Adoptable Pets: Petfinder