Tag: best friend

We Make It Happen – Meet Kristina and Jason

You never know when or where TASP will pick up the next awesome volunteer. Case in point, a couple of years ago, our volunteers were presenting for adoption a small handful of dogs at the Times Union Center in Albany, at the annual Home Show. A young couple, Kristina and Jason, came along and struck up a conversation with us about the dogs, and this evolved into a conversation about their dogs, their involvement in animal welfare through Kristina’s Mom’s association with Bright Star German Shepherd Rescue, and then that evolved into a brazen effort on our part to recruit these smart, motivated, animal-loving people into the TASP family.

We get our share of empty offers at events, just like most rescues probably do. But in this case, Kristina and Jason actually followed through and sent us their TASP Volunteer and Foster applications. Not one, but TWO very capable young local folks who have worked through the joys and sacrifices of keeping their own dogs healthy and happy while working their full time jobs. And what’s more, BOTH of these volunteers are helping TASP achieve our goals in all four of the areas TASP organizes by: Finance, Logistics, Operations and Planning!

Kristina Spring, Project Coordinator for a corporate internet service provider by day, moonlights as a Customer Service Associate at one of our local big box home improvement centers by night. And by the way, in between, Kristina is taking courses at Hudson Valley Community College to achieve her dream of becoming a Physical Therapist! Amid all this, Kristina still has time to write grant proposals for TASP and has even joined our Board as Director of Development, so she can contribute to the decisions that keep TASP growing to meet the incredible demand for our services.

Jason Young, Kristina’s fiance, works as a Controls Engineer for a local engineering company and also travels around the country to provide Field Technical Support to their customers. He keeps his company’s process control, HVAC and material handling systems operating smoothly and his experience & education, his infectious sense of humor and positive, can-do attitude are SO helpful to TASP when we’re planning and executing a project!

This power-couple owns a young Bull Mastiff named, “Tucker,” and a senior Boxer mix named, “Bentley.” It’s always a cause to laugh out loud, pulling up to their house in the driveway to be greeted at the picture window by the drooling faces of those big guys and whichever TASP foster dog happens to be living there at the time. Jason and Kristina open their home to the foster dogs TASP presents them with, whether it’s a dog owned by someone undergoing hospitalization, a dog just rescued from an abandoned home, or one with medical/emotional issues accepted into our Bright Futures program from another rescue. Their patience, vigilance, insight and just plain love of animals ensure us that each foster dog will receive all the medical/emotional/training attention it needs in order to leave their home in better shape than when it arrived.

Always cheerful, always ethical and professional, always communicating new ideas and ready to pitch in on any project that comes along, Kristina and Jason have quickly earned the love and respect of the rest of our group. Our little army of pet problem solvers continues to grow and with volunteers like this, we continue to become more effective, more efficient and more respected in our community. No wonder so many agencies, humane societies, pet stores and veterinarians all over the Capital Region are referring people needing help for their animals to TASP!

December 24, 2018 By Melinda Plasse In Newsletter 5 Comments Off on We Make It Happen – Meet Kristina and Jason

Tip o’ the Day – The Biggest Mistakes New Animal Owners Make

We’ve all seen the movies and read the books about animals and people living happily ever after. And animals really do enrich our lives, no matter what the species. But all living things have physical and emotional needs.  They’re not appliances we can turn on and off as we find necessary. They need the right food, the right medical care and the right enrichment to live an acceptable quality of life…..and most importantly, they need our time and attention. Once we bring a pet into our lives, we become their primary source of these things. They depend on us to know what they need because they can’t always tell us themselves. In this issue of our newsletter, we thought it might be helpful to use the internet to learn in advance what others have to tell us about the animals we want to make a part of our family.

The most common mistakes new animal owners make…….

Thinking of acquiring a cat? CLICK HERE to learn how to avoid the most common mistakes new cat owners make.

You say you’re smitten by the puppy you just met at the shelter? CLICK HERE to learn from the mistakes of others.

You always wanted an equine and now you’ve got the opportunity to achieve that dream. Before you do, CLICK HERE to prepare yourself in advance.

Ferrets, rats, snakes, lizards, turtles……are they all low maintenance pets? CLICK HERE to find out.

Exotic birds are entertaining, colorful, and some can even talk to us. But there’s more to owning a bird than just putting food and water in a cage. CLICK HERE to find out what you may not have considered about owning a bird, before you bring one home.

 

 

December 23, 2018 By Melinda Plasse In Newsletter 5 Comments Off on Tip o’ the Day – The Biggest Mistakes New Animal Owners Make

Vet Sci 101 – The Scoop on Poop

As pet owners, we sooner or later will be subjected to cleaning up a very stinky mess left behind by our canine or feline friend. It’s important to learn how to interpret the language of poop so we can be an advocate for our animals who can’t necessarily describe their situation to the vet.
Did you know that a fecal sample is the window to what’s going on inside your pet? Knowing what different kinds of BM mean can help you save your pet from suffering; and a little bit of time spent being a “scat detective” can even save a life.
The AKC wrote a terrific article about this very subject. And although it’s written from the perspective of a dog lover, the general information it offers about the features of feces can be generalized to other species like cats and horses.
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/doggie-diarrhea/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=yourakc-20161121

December 23, 2018 By Melinda Plasse In Newsletter 5 Comments Off on Vet Sci 101 – The Scoop on Poop

The Next Chapter – Update on Mitch’s Dogs

With 2018 nearly over, we realize what a challenging year this, our tenth year, has been. Losing Mitch Valerien in March was the worst thing that ever happened to our little group, and it was so totally unexpected, the cause still not fully understood, even the most optimistic of us probably felt like the floor was pulled out from under our feet. So it is easy to imagine how much worse that horrible event was for Mitch’s dogs. Without the ability to understand even what little we knew about Mitch’s death, these animals went through a life-altering change in 2018. Living alone, Mitch was everything to these dogs: mother, father, nurse, chef, janitor and UBER service….TASP owed it to Mitch to do our best to help her animals get to the next chapter in their lives as painlessly as possible. And thanks to the kindness of our community and the resilience of these dogs’ spirits, we have some very positive news to report to all of you.

Andy: “The Flower,” is now living a loved, safe and joyful life with Lea, a local veterinarian who has a soft spot for senior dogs. And BTW, she also has a very friendly, sweet black lab mix female for Andy to play and snooze next to. This gentle guy was very bonded to Midnight, Mitch’s little black lab mix female, so it was especially gratifying to have Andy find a home with another friendly female who resembles Midnight so much. Andy’s new Mom is a “foster failure,” just as Mitch was when she originally adopted Andy from Labs4Rescue so many years ago. The first time we contacted Lea to bring Andy to an adoption clinic, she asked to adopt him because he had grown so content in her home and she’d grown so fond of him. Lea writes in her latest update, “He’s doing great, a real sweetie and has adjusted to life with me very well. Everyone loves him. His sister is forever pestering him to play, sometimes he’s happy to and other times he just patiently ignores the biting at his head and feet (Hadley can be a pill!)” Andy’s new life is truly what Mitch would have asked for if she could.

Click on Andy’s portrait to watch a video of him and Hadley playing together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benjamin: “The Forever Puppy,” was the first of Mitch’s dogs to be adopted, and the oldest! Thanks to Tracy, Mitch’s childhood friend in Rhode Island, Ben lounges on the carpet next to Tracy’s desk while she’s working from home, just as he did at Mitch’s house while she worked from home. Ben’s got a family who adores him and makes him a part of everything they do. And he has a little girlfriend to snuggle up and flirt with whenever he wants to. Tracy’s latest report: “Ben is doing great. He has been a great addition to our family. We love taking him for rides and he loves just being with us. We are truly lucky to have him.” Can you imagine how happy this would make Mitch?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Billie: “Sweetheart,” Billie was the dog who seemed to suffer the most when Mitch passed away. For awhile, we couldn’t figure out why Billie was physically failing. But once she settled into Lynn’s home in farm country, just outside of Fort Edward, Billie’s condition began to turn around. We discovered Billie’s physical decline was just a symptom of her grieving! Lynn happened to be her Vet Tech at Borador Animal Hospital when Mitch was still alive. After Mitch’s death, Lynn’s heart went out to the old dog with the huge benign tumor on her back, who suffered so profoundly from the loss of Mitch. In a recent email, Lynn told us, “Everyone in my family just loves her. She fit in here like she had always lived here.
Although I am sorry that it was necessary to rehome her I am honored to have her as it is the only thing I could do for Mitch.” It’s clear Lynn adores Billie and Billie’s physical improvement since moving in with Lynn testifies to how happy she is there. Lynn even prepares home-cooked meals for this noble old dog! Now, Billie’s latest chapter is truly a happy tail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Midnight: “The Little Sister,” also hit the lottery. She was adopted by Ally, who works at Upstate Veterinary Specialties. Midnight has a much smaller pack now: just her and a dog-friendly cat, so she gets loads of attention and love, and doesn’t have to share her Mom with a lot of other dogs. She even gets to go to work with Ally, who tells us, “Midnight is doing wonderfully. And feels like she has always been a part of my life. I love her already!….. I am so glad that I found her. It’s been such a positive experience and I am looking forward to giving her a perfect home after going through so much. Her story truly touched my heart.” Ally’s update really touched all of our hearts at TASP. Little Midnight is surely blossoming in this new life of hers.

Mallory: While the “Little Mama” is waiting for her own forever home, she’s fostering with the Plasse’s, sharing the front zone of the house with Hammond (Rich & Melinda’s senior Rottie mix) and Desi, the deaf senior Jack Russell Terrier from TASP’s hospice program. Mallory enjoys her role as the only chick in the crowd, and the male dogs seem very willing to have Mallory direct the day’s activities. Rich tells us, “Mallory’s showing us every day what a terrific gal she is by walking to and from the play yard without even being leashed. She barks when company comes and loves lounging on the self-heating dog bed Hammond loaned to her. She’s such a cheerful girl…. her tail wags so hard when she sees me, it sounds like she’s beating a drum. She’s a really good dog!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sadie: “Cover Girl” is now officially a Canine Good Citizen thanks to her foster Mom, Lucinda. While she waits to be adopted to her forever home, Sadie shares the foster home with two cats and two male mini dachschund mixes. She enjoys the daily walks Lucinda takes her on in their quiet neighborhood and one of her favorite things to do is to snooze with her dog and cat friends on Lucinda’s big front window seat. With her good manners and her magnetic personality, it’s just a matter of time before Sadie finds her special person to adopt her; but in the meantime, she’s thinking foster life is mighty sweet at Lucinda’s. “Sweet Sadie is an eager-to-please girl. She relishes car rides and outdoor walks and hikes, but is also content to nose around the back yard or sit by the window to watch the world go by,” according to Lucinda. Sadie  certainly has matured and is nothing like the wild-child she was years ago when Mitch took her in. She’ll make someone a fantastic companion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zach: The dog we were most worried about being adopted was our “Wingman.” With his separation anxiety, Zach presented a big dilemma for anyone who worked outside the home. Fortunately for him, Bill came with his family to the Petapalooza adoption event at Curtis Lumber in Hoosick Falls earlier this year. Bill had just suffered the devastating loss of his wife. And being retired, he found himself with way too much alone time. Zach’s larger-than-life personality caught Bill’s eye from the get-go and before long they both knew they needed each other. The rest of the story is better than anything we could have written for Zach. Bill and Zach are a team now, doing everything together at home and on the road. Bill’s minivan is the perfect vehicle for these two bachelors to cruise to the park for a nice walk or to run errands in town. And Bill says Zach is like his shadow, always right behind him and ready to participate in any activity, especially climbing into bed at the end of the day. Bill says, “Sometimes he even beats me to bed and I have to ask him to move over so I can get in!” Bill’s daughter, Dawn adds, ” I would like to thank you for giving my Dad the opportunity to adopt Zack. I believe they are a perfect match! They are inseparable, great therapy for each other.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time only moves in one direction and no amount of money on earth can buy time back once it’s spent. The old adage says, “Change is good.” But some changes are so sudden and irreversible, they can upset even the most level-headed of us. All of us at TASP are glad that Mitch’s dogs are finding their own lives now. It wasn’t easy for them to adapt after all the years they shared with Mitch, but thanks to the commitment of Mitch’s circle of friends and the response from the community, all of her dogs are safe and loved. We hope to report on the final placements for Sadie and Mallory soon, and with that, we will all know Mitch can finally rest in peace knowing her “kids” are going to be alright.

December 23, 2018 By Melinda Plasse In Newsletter 5 Comments Off on The Next Chapter – Update on Mitch’s Dogs

We Make It Happen

Best Friends Forever, Tess & Tim Newbury

When you know you’re married to your best friend, that good vibe bubbles over to everything you do and everyone you touch.  It spreads an aura of peace and happiness that is contagious and puts animals and people completely at ease. And isn’t The Animal Support Project fortunate to have Tim and Tess Newbury, happily married for nearly 40 years, as our treasured volunteers! Tess, the sweet little blonde lady with the smile that lights up a room, the one who works our photo clinics each month and coaxes feral cats like Dr. Doolittle, is the perfect match for Tim, the soft-spoken veteran who uses his experience and skills to do everything from building dog houses and fences to upgrading the TASP storage facility, to teaching our younger volunteers how to properly handle power tools.

TASP deals with such an eclectic variety of situations in the course of helping animals and their owners through tough times, having a flexible couple like Tim and Tess on our crew is a gift from heaven.  Not only do they approach every project they’re asked to work with a smile and a can-do attitude, but they demonstrate to the rest of the community what TASP is all about: respect for all living creatures, whether two or four-legged.

A veteran of both the US NAVY and the US ARMY, Tim’s experiences managing logistics on submarines and working on helicopter crews make him uniquely qualified to be TASP’s Logistics Chief. Need a stretcher to carry an unconscious 120 pound Rottweiler from a disabled lady’s dining room floor for transport to the vet? Let Tim improvise the solution and you know it will be done humanely and safely. Need to erect a safe space to hold a dozen feral cats while they await vetting? Put Tim in charge and he’ll have every tool, every supply on hand to get the job done right the first time.

Tess just retired from her position working in Special Education, and what made her so successful in that job was her empathy and respect for humanity. She uses those same wonderful traits to bring the best out of people and pets in her work with TASP. Her friendly, joyful disposition draws others to her and helps them know things are going to be alright. And nothing calms a frightened pet better than Tess’s soft voice and gentle touch. She helps relax the pets and owners at our photo clinics so we can capture the perfect shot, and she is the glue that holds our volunteers together with a bond that can only come from the genuine love and friendship she feels for them.

The Newburys know the value of family. Pull into their driveway on any day and you’ll be greeted by a grandchild or two followed by Picklejack, the Pit Bull. Tim might be running that Sunday in a 5K with daughter, Nicole, or helping one of Nicole’s girls hone their archery skills for 4H. And Tess is probably out in the barn with another grandchild, gathering eggs and tossing hay to the goats.

This power-couple has been volunteering with TASP ever since they failed miserably at fostering dogs for our organization…..not once, but TWICE! But let me tell you, Gregory and Gretel, the two foster dogs who stole their hearts, could not have found a better home than the Newbury’s.  Life at their mini-farm is as sweet as it gets.

Tess & Tim Newbury have brought so much to TASP and to those we serve!  With so much treasure in their own private lives, it is an absolute honor to know they still have time to be so active with TASP. They do it because they believe in TASP’s mission: keeping families together.

April 28, 2018 By Melinda Plasse In Newsletter 4 Comments Off on We Make It Happen

Featured Adoptable Animal – Lookin’ for Love?

 

CLICK HERE to meet Nicholas.

 

September 23, 2017 By Melinda Plasse In Adoptable Animals, Newsletter 3 Comments Off on Featured Adoptable Animal – Lookin’ for Love?

Join the Fun! TASP Events Now till 2018

Tag Sales, Photo Clinics, Adoption Clinics and MORE! There are SO many TASP events going on throughout the year! All are for raising the funds needed to continue our mission of helping companion animals stay safe and healthy. Want to help? Visit/volunteer/donate/shop! Bring your friends and family and have a blast while you help local animals! CLICK HERE for a fast connection to the TASP Events Page.

 

September 23, 2017 By Melinda Plasse In Newsletter 3 Comments Off on Join the Fun! TASP Events Now till 2018

Testimonials – In Their Words

I want to say thank you so much for all your help that you have been doing for my cat Lucy it means a lot to me. Thanks again….. Jean

Thank you for all you did for Raymond’s “Pups.”  …..Pat

I don’t know what we would have done without your compassion and support. Your organization is truly a Godsend and I would be proud to say I am affiliated with it…….Although Smoaky most definitely had a better “vacation” than I did, I am recovering well……I’m sure my peace of mind and not having to worry about Smoaky contributed greatly to my recovery. At a (very rare) loss for words for thanks, I’ll just say a million and one thanks for all your help!…….Sincerely, Pam

Thank you for talking to me last night. I appreciate your advice and look forward to having you over …..Alice

I was just filling my cats’ food bowl and I was just thinking how wonderful you were to help me both times and I just want to let you know that I really appreciate it, especially the litter cuz I really would be in a pickle right now if it wasn’t for you…because I literally have no income. So I just want to thank you again, I really, really, really appreciate it. I’m hoping if I do get my Social Security maybe I can help someone else and pass it forward. Just had to say it again, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much!……..Tina

 

 

September 19, 2017 By Melinda Plasse In Newsletter 3, Testimonials Comments Off on Testimonials – In Their Words

This Quarter’s Featured Project – Keepin’ It Together

Best Friends for Life: Gail and Puppy

Thanks to all of you from Puppy!

My name’s, “Puppy.” I’m a 13 year old Yorkie & Chihuahua mix. Everyone is surprised to find out how old I am when they hear my name and meet me….frisky and lively and full of energy, I guess I’ll always look and act like a pup, and that’s just fine with me!                                                         When I was younger, Mom, Dad, Bro and I all lived on a modest little farm in the country. We raised dairy goats; Nubians and LaManchas were our specialty. I really liked the way they smelled and I enjoyed going to the barn each day with the folks to help with milking and caring for my caprine “cousins.” My favorite thing to do was to steal a piece of the trimmings when the goats had their hooves clipped…..have you ever tasted goat hoof? It’s the caviar of doggie cuisine, y’know.

About two years ago, things all of a sudden changed ALOT! First, Bro got really sick…… the kind of sick that means hospital trips, chemo, and weeks and weeks of pain medicine. After that, Bro never really looked the same; and soon, he just completely disappeared. Mom and Dad walked around like zombies after Bro left. They looked scared.

We moved to a smaller place because Mom’s health wasn’t very good anymore. She has a lot of trouble breathing. Soon, she was wearing a leash attached to her nose (she called it her oxygen) and she was never able to walk off-leash again. That seemed bad enough, but then, all of a sudden, Dad got sick like Bro. And less than a year after Bro disappeared, Dad disappeared, too. Mom says both of them went to live in heaven. I can’t understand why they left Mom and me here alone, but Mom says they got invited and we didn’t. But she says we will be invited to heaven soon enough. She says Dad and Bro are not coming back, either. So now, it’s just Mom and me scraping by on her Social Security check.

With things going so badly in Mom’s life, I didn’t want to tell her that my mouth hurt. But as time went on, it REALLY got sore and I couldn’t chew my food. She noticed and started calling around to see if a vet would fix my mouth on credit…….but none of the vets agreed to let Mom pay on time; not even the one we’ve been going to all these years!

But ya know what? Mom didn’t give up. She kept asking around and eventually she found out about TASP: The Animal Support Project. She talked with a volunteer there and they hooked us up with a vet named Dr. Nicole, who actually fixed my mouth for FREE! Dr. Nicole had a grant from the ASPCA to help animals belonging to poor people…..and since nobody’s poorer than Mom and me, I was able to get the care I needed. But that’s not the end of the story!

The vets also said I needed medicine to help my heart work better. So TASP took me to a specialist and got me the tests I needed to get the right medicine. Now, a TASP volunteer visits Mom and me twice a month to count out pills into my trays. The trays have little compartments in them and each morning and evening, Mom takes the pills from a compartment and folds them into some tasty canned dogfood that I find just irresistible.  TASP even found me a sponsor who donates my pills so Mom doesn’t have to use food money to buy them.

The volunteer says Mom and TASP have “joint custody” of me so I can remain at home and still get the special care I need.  They say I will be happier at home with the Mom I’ve known all my 13 years than to be uprooted and sent somewhere else. They know I am only at peace when I’m on Mom’s lap, watching the cooking shows on cable. And Mom is SO HAPPY to know she doesn’t have to spend the rest of her life alone! Mom and I sometimes look at each other and wonder which of us will be the next one to disappear. But at least now Mom knows that if SHE gets invited to heaven first, then I still have my friends at TASP to care for me until my invitation arrives.

CLICK HERE to watch Puppy & Gail’s video

 

 

September 19, 2017 By Melinda Plasse In Newsletter 3 Comments Off on This Quarter’s Featured Project – Keepin’ It Together

The Next Chapter – Project Outcome Followup

Update on Bria

If you follow our facebook page, you know Bria returned home to live with her family back around January. As soon as she went home, Bria was enrolled with her family in Basic Obedience training through Crawmer’s Animal Training, courtesy of TASP, just to give her a leg up on moving back to home life. With three active kids, Dad recovering from major surgery and Mom adapting to her new job, it was extremely gratifying to know that the whole family was so devoted and committed to bringing Bria back into their lives.
The nicest update about Bria just came from her Mom!
“It’s been a whirlwind of a year but this is us and we got this… we are settling in and as I write Bria is laying by my bed. I would take a pic but she is a girl always in motion! Allana graduated yesterday and she will be off to St. John’s University in the fall to study Bio with a concentration in pre-med. We will never forget your kindness and would love to visit before she leaves! You are so special to our family!”
This family is still struggling to make ends meet since the fire took their home nearly two years ago. They are STILL waiting for the insurance companies to settle. But they’re a family of survivors and they’re all working hard to move on with life. They are an inspiration to everyone who knows them and it has been a joy to play a part in their recovery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Update on Copper and Charlie:

Who says two giant old dogs can’t find a home together? Well, if this happy ending doesn’t make you believe in Santa Claus, I don’t know what will. You met Charlie and Copper in our last newsletter. On their way to the euthanasia room, these two bonded senior dogs made a detour to TASP foster care with Kat. And not long after that, just in time for Christmas, BOTH of these old guys hit the lottery and were adopted by Allison and her wonderful family. Used to giant breed dogs, the family’s home was ideal for our old buddies. And what a great way to start the new year: loved and safe with folks who treasure them for the gems they are!
At their ripe old ages, there is no telling how many Christmases Copper and Charlie will see. But knowing they will spend the rest of their lives being loved and spoiled is enough to make anyone want to celebrate. Thanks to everyone who had a part in this miracle!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Update on Bucky:

Three dentals, two leg surgeries and TWO YEARS in foster care! That’s what it took for Bucky to find the home he was meant to have. Although the little cowpoke was always a hit at adoption clinics and events, he never seemed to get the followthrough from potential adopters, and those who DID apply to adopt him had other animals who didn’t care to have Bucky in the family portrait. But that all changed in July when JT came into the picture. With a circle of friends who all own dogs, JT was looking for a little compadre who would work out well in her apartment and who would get along with the rest of her friends’ dogs. Circle Bucky for that! Living in Boston near a wonderful network of parks, trails and dog-friendly businesses, JT and Bucky now are seen frequenting all the best spots for reading and posting p-mail. And since JT works from home, the Buckmeister has his very own full-time relationship; the kind of lifestyle we think he always dreamed of and deserved. From a discarded, crooked-legged waif to a healthy, beloved companion with a real live bedfella and a social life to rival that of any Boston bachelor, this little Urban Cowboy is finally home!

September 19, 2017 By Melinda Plasse In Newsletter 3 Comments Off on The Next Chapter – Project Outcome Followup