Claws and Paws Brings Doggie Fans Together
(Crystal A. Proxmire, May 22, 2016)
Clawson, MI – Jennifer Seidl of Farmington found Bat Girl tied to the fence of a shelter in Redford with a little black cat at her side, also tied. The ebony colored bulldog with large ears that look like bat wings had presumably been abandoned along with the cat, who cuddled close to her as if they’d been lifelong pals.
Seidl runs a small rescue organization called Bullys Angels, a network of volunteers who specialize in taking in dogs that other shelters prefer not to take due to injury or breed. She and other volunteers brought animals to the Claws and Paws event Saturday at City Park in Clawson in hopes of finding them short term or long term homes.
The biggest need in rescue work is for fosters, Seidl said. “People always say they could never keep a dog temporarily, that they’d get too attached and not want to give it back. That’s not how it works though. Dogs all have different personalities and match up with people differently. Fosters are very important because they do so much for the dogs to get them ready for their forever home. But when you see the faces of the families and the dogs when they find the right match, it is amazing. It is such a good feeling. For all the work, and all the mess, all the behavior and training, the vet visits, all the work, none of that matters when you have those moments, and you see those faces.
Bully Angels became official five years ago when Seidl turned her passion for picking up lost dogs and trying to find their owners, to taking in strays and finding them homes, to an even more organized effort.
Her most memorable rescue was a matt that she named “Chicken.” Chicken had been living in the Packard Plant and his fur had been lost in patches due to mange. A well-intentioned person cured the mange by coating the dog in motor oil.
“It worked, but it was a mess. This poor dog was so skinny and fur was all splotchy so he looked like a half-plucked chicken,” she said. Chicken’s rescue mom now volunteers with Bully Angels, as do many of those he get drawn into to the love of saving the lives of animals. Learn more about Bullys Angels at http://www.bullysangels.org/
For Elia Russinoff of Farmington Hills it was empathy for racing dogs that opened his heart to rescue work. The retired automotive designer said that Greyhounds were the dogs that Egyptian pharaohs had. “They weren’t meant to be treated like that,” he said of the Greyhound racing industry.
Russinoff was at Claws and Paws with Motor City Greyhound Rescue, along with his own pet, a loving female named Diamond. Diamond had been racing in GA before finding a loving home in Michigan.
“This is my third Greyhound. This time I got a female because they are the most loving. But they all are generally. They are a very sweet, very loyal dog.” Learn more about Motor City Greyhound Rescue at http://www.motorcitygreyhoundrescue.org/.
Best Buddy Pet Rescue of Waterford was also there with several animals including a scruffy little four month old terrier mix. Gabby is active and needs an active home. Learn more about Best Buddy Pet Rescue at https://www.facebook.com/BBPR.MI/.
The Claws and Paws event featured several rescue groups as well as a marketplace for pooch related vendors.
A fun run/walk raised money for this year’s charity Guardians for Animals, and gave dogs an opportunity to walk or run in the race with their human friend.
Check out pictures from Claws and Paws years past:
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2015/05/17/blessings-adoptions-and-more-make-claws-and-paws-event-fantastic/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/06/09/claws-paws-fills-park-with-pets/.
Learn more about the event at http://www.clawsonclawspaws.com/.
Keep up with local events at https://oaklandcounty115.com/events/.