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As all of us are aware, the economy is not very
stable, the employment future is not very stable, the
political structure is about to change. We need to
inform you of a few things that HALO is doing that you
may not be aware of. Most of our rescued Havanese
appear on petfinder.com and find homes within a short
time. But there have been some who have not:
Sammy: breeder surrender, born with
encephalitis, used as a breeder (can you imagine), had a
family but the husband didn’t like him and would kick
him out at night where he and his brother would try to
stay warm (he lived in Chicago). HALO took him about a
few years ago. We offered him for adoption but no one
came forward and his foster family wanted to care for
him so we’ve made an arrangement where HALO is
responsible for his medical and grooming expenses for
life.
Pockets: owner surrender. Owner drove from FL
to GA and dropped her off, not bothering to tell us she
became excessively possessive, was a biter, became
destructive and ran off twice; once she was lost
for several weeks. She has some behavior issues and is
being kept safe with a friend of HALO but we provide her
medical, grooming, food, etc. She also wears a
permanent “halo”.
Dulce and Kilo: 12-year old male and
9-year old female: owner is facing bankruptcy and
regretfully needed to surrender his family pets. He
obtained them from a breeder who needed to get rid of
them. HALO worked out an arrangement where the family
kept the dogs and we are “sponsoring” them. We’ve had
them completely vetted (spay for the female), the male
had 19 teeth removed and the female had 12 teeth removed
due to decay plus they are now current on all
vaccinations and have a year’s supply of heartworm
preventative, plus they will receive regular grooming.
Their vet bill including a 20% discount came to over
$1,200! But they get to stay in their home and the kids
get to keep their beloved Havanese. HALO has committed
to them financially until they can get back on their
feet (possibly 3 to 5 yrs.).
Recently a 68-year old lady contacted us to
surrender her 4-1/2 year old male Havanese, Benji. She
is facing some health issues and the dog has a chronic
skin allergy and she was unable to afford his medical
expenses. We have him now and are awaiting her decision
if she is able to take him back. If not, he will be
offered for adoption but we are having him see another
veterinarian who may possibly have a different form of
treatment which maybe the owner can afford. But he
could very possibly wear a “halo.”
The above situations are ways in which we are
“rescuing” Havanese – not by attending dog auctions or
buying them out of puppy mills but by caring for their
medical needs and keeping them safe. We feel very
fortunate that financially HALO can do this but it is
expensive. The monies spent for the above animals means
that much less goes towards buying dogs at auction or
out of mills. So we are asking for your help. We’d
like to designate a separate fund to draw on for
“special care Havanese.” We might even be fortunate to
receive enough to add another dog or two to this group.
But at this point we have decided against it because of
the continuing expense. So if you could help, please
send a check made to HALO, Inc., P. O. Box 367, Manteno,
IL 60950. Mark on the envelope “Special Care Havs”.
There has been much in the news lately about the
newly elected President’s promise to his daughters for a
new puppy. We know you all love your dogs and are
thinking that a Havanese would be a great puppy for them
– great with kids, non-shedding, hypoallergenic,
friendly. And you’re right – this breed would be
perfect for them and the fact that it would be a puppy
mill rescue is even better. But PLEASE DO NOT WRITE AND
SUGGEST A HAVANESE. Every time a specific breed gets
put into a movie, is featured with a celebrity, or gets
any kind of positive media attention, the run is on by
the uninformed and uneducated public to get one – and
then two months later these dogs end up in rescue. It
also creates a demand at pet stores for the breed and
we, of course, know that means that the puppy mills
increase their breeding to meet the demand. We have
more than enough to handle at this time. Let’s just
keep the Havanese as our own special secret, please.
A little update on our 33 new rescues. All are
doing well and are being vetted and properly loved and
spoiled in their foster homes. We had 2 little babies
that had to be hospitalized but they are both back home
again and thriving under their foster moms loving care.
Many have pending adoptions but there are still quite a
few waiting for their forever homes.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you
and your fur-babies!!
Warmly,
Cindy, Pat and Kathi
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