December 2015

Forever homes a bit easier for a dozen dogs thanks to unique Christmas gift – Update! All dogs adopted!

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Update! All dogs adopted!
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Emily and Bocephus - photo courtesy Natalie Wilson

A dozen shelter dogs in Nashville are closer to finding forever homes thanks to a family Christmas gift. Instead of the typical gift card or mall trinket, Tails of the Trail pack leader Emily Raudabaugh chose to sponsor the adoption fees for a dozen shelter dogs at Metropolitan Nashville Animal Care & Control (MACC) as her gift to her family this year.
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Metro Nashville Animal Care & Control“I was thinking about what to give my family and I came to the quick realization that we are blessed with all we need,” Emily said.

“These homeless dogs stole my heart after volunteering at Metro with Tails of the Trail and they need forever homes.”

Check out twelve wonderful dogs in these photos, find out more on AdoptaPet.com, and contact MACC if you’re interested in adopting.

Any of these pups can be matched to a forever family and the usual adoption fees will be waived thanks to Emily.
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Related Social Media Updates

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Update! Prince was adopted yesterday from Metro Nashville Animal Care and Control! https://tailsofthetrail.org/forever-homes-a-bit-easier-for-a-dozen-dogs-thanks-to-unique-christmas-gift/

Posted by Tails of the Trail on Sunday, March 13, 2016

 

Look at that doggie smile! Prince is the last to be adopted of the 12 dogs that Emily sponsored at Christmas. He is at…

Posted by Tails of the Trail on Sunday, March 13, 2016

 

Great news! Tammy Toes, Ginger, and Wabbit have been adopted from Metro Nashville Animal Care and Control with the…

Posted by Tails of the Trail on Tuesday, January 19, 2016

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Home for the holidays! Volunteer love helps Baxter find a forever family

Bernice Karnett, a physician and volunteer staff member with Tails of the Trail, shares her recent post-hike experience with Baxter (a.k.a. Joey), a dog hidden in the back corners…

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On December 12, 2015, Tails of the Trail hosted a shelter dog hike at Metro Nashville Animal Care and Control (MACC). After helping to bring out several dogs to partner up with their companion hikers from Belmont University, I went to the back room and saw this sad boy in his pen. I knew I just had to take him outside. It was a beautiful sunny day and when I showed him to Lisa Thomas, co-founder of TOTT, I told her he had no name on his kennel. It’s probable he was a recent street pickup. We decided to call him “Joey.” He was sweet, affectionate and oh-so docile. He had a lot of scrapes, especially on his face, no doubt from being a stray and was bone thin, but still he wagged his tail in friendship, all the while shivering in fear.

That day after I left the shelter I couldn’t stop thinking about Joey. I knew then that I would return the following weekend to MACC and volunteer to walk the pups; I just had to see him again.

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Upon my arrival I made a bee line to his cage. My heart melted as soon as I saw him. Not only was he wagging his tail in excitement–I think he remembered me–but his whole body was in full action.  This time the tag on his kennel had a name, Baxter.

So out Baxter and I went into the play yard where we spent a wonderful time cuddling and enjoying the fresh air. I couldn’t help but bring him a special treat, a piece of baked chicken. After all, he needed a little meat on his skin and bones. My initial thoughts were that he would quickly devour the meal and my hand, but I was so wrong. He very slowly and gently ate each morsel with such delight!

Now I confirmed in my heart that I had to help sweet Baxter any way possible. I was on a mission to save this wonderful pup!

As luck would have it, when I entered the waiting room of MACC, there were several people inside and I started talking to and introducing them to Baxter.  I described this wonderful sweet boy and everyone became excited to meet him. In fact, one couple had specifically come to MACC to look for a cat but they ultimately decided to spend some time with Baxter, my sweet dog, in the socializing room.

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I spent the rest of the weekend thinking about Baxter. Was he lonely and waiting for my return visit?  Was it possible that someone would fall in love with him just as I had done?  I could only hope so.

Upon returning to work on Monday I immediately logged onto the MACC website to check the status of adoptable dogs. To my amazement, there was no Baxter listed. As I started to cry, my nurse walked into the room. I told her the story of Baxter, while tears ran down my face. They were tears of JOY!  Baxter had found a forever home just in time to celebrate the holidays and I was forever grateful. For me and Baxter, this was truly the best Christmas present ever!

I believe everyone should spend their free time loving an orphaned pup. And who knows what miracles may happen. I feel like my few hours with Baxter helped calm him, helped him feel loved, and hopefully made him a better fit for his forever family!

‘tis the Season!

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Why I Love Being a Foster Brother by Sirius Black Davis

Sirius Black is a German Shepherd, and in this story he sits down with foster mom Jennifer Davis to talk of his experiences being a foster brother

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Hi people! My name’s Sirius and I’m the best foster brother ever, at least, that’s what my mom says. She’s a foster mom for Southeast German Shepherd Rescue. We just started fostering this year, after mom bought me a house with lots and lots of land to run and play on. You see, I just love to play with other dogs and mom thought fostering would be a great way for me to have a playmate without committing to having another dog forever. I mean, what if we got another dog and I didn’t like him? And then we’d be stuck with him forever!

I think fostering is a great thing to do! I was fostered by a very nice lady before my mom adopted me. She taught me lots of stuff so when I met my real mom for the first time, she was super impressed with me!  Mom said that by fostering other dogs we could help them become more adoptable so they could find moms and dads of their own. My mom loves me so much and I really want to help other dogs find that kind of love too!

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My first foster sister was named Ginny. I really loved her! We got to play in the yard every morning and every night. Ginny didn’t know a lot of stuff when she came to live with us, so mom said I had to help teach her how to be a good dog so she could find a family of her own.  I taught her how to sit and not to chase the cats and how to walk nice on the leash. And guess what? She got adopted by an awesome family that adores her almost as much as my mom adores me.

We did have to make some changes to our routine for Ginny. I don’t think she got fed very much before she came to live with us, so she would gobble all of her food down and then come over and eat mine. I’m such a nice guy, I would just back away and let her have my food too, but mom said that I shouldn’t let her take advantage of me (whatever that means). So now I get to eat my meals in the guest bedroom with the door closed. Mom says I’m a slow eater, but really I just like to savor my food and chew it thoroughly, that’s very important you know!

I was a little bit sad after Ginny left, but about a month later JP came to live with us. He was only 10 months old and full of energy. Boy, did I have a lot of work to do with him! But we had lots of fun running around and chasing each other in the yard. And after only a month, he got adopted too! Now I have a new brother named Remus. He is only 7 months old, but mom says he reminds her of me and that’s a big compliment because I’m the best dog ever! Mom says we might foster-fail and keep him forever. I really hope so, because I love him a lot. Mom says he loves me too, even more than he loves her because whenever she calls his name he runs to me instead of her.

I think that more people (and dogs) should consider being foster families. It is hard to say goodbye to your foster brothers and sisters, but there are always new fosters to meet!

Sometimes it’s hard having to share my mom’s attention with other dogs. She’s only one person so she can’t love on all of us at the same time and sometimes she needs to spend extra time with my foster siblings to work on training or take them to the vet. But I feel so sad for all the dogs that have to live in shelters without moms and dads of their own. So I don’t mind sharing my mom with other dogs for a little while until they find families of their own.

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Mason and Kaye: One Especially Great Match

I recently moved to Nashville in August after having lived most of my life in Northern Illinois. I was tired of the midwest and needed a change.

Growing up, I always loved Kentucky and Tennessee, so when it came time to pick a new place to live I was easily drawn back to the area. I visited Nashville in the spring and decided to move here whether I had a job or not. It ended up being the not….

After about three weeks of living here and knowing very few people and not working, I realized I needed a way to meet new people. I was at REI, when a very friendly employee and I got to talking. She suggested I join Nashville Hiking Meetup, as that’s how she met a lot of people when she first moved here. So I went home created a profile and began looking at events. It only took me a couple minutes to stumble upon the Tails of the Trails events and eagerly signed up for the next open event. That event just so happened to be a walk with Middle Tennessee Boxer Rescue (MTBR).

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I went to that event and fell in love. I realized how much I missed being around dogs and how much they added to my life. After the event I asked Nicole, one of MTBR’s volunteers if they needed any extra help and she said YES! I began walking with the MTBR volunteers the next day and continued walking with them several times a week.

When I moved to Nashville, I had considered bringing my family dog Emma, but ultimately decided against it for many reasons. I didn’t know quite what my apartment was going to be like, how much time I would have for her, she’s an older dog used to her routine, and my parents are more attached than they care to admit. I didn’t think I would be adopting a dog anytime soon but that changed as soon as I met Mason.

Mason was this incredibly handsome boxer mix at MTBR who very quickly stole my heart. I avoided walking him for about the first week or so because I just had a feeling the minute I walked him I was going to get attached, and boy was I right about that.

The first time I walked him he was so well mannered and just such a sweet, easy-going boy that you can’t help but loving him. I remember telling my boyfriend about him, and his response was, “well if you love him so much then why don’t you adopt him?”

At first I told myself, “no you can’t adopt a dog that big, your apartment won’t allow it, plus it’s a small space it might not be fair to him.” This went on for a couple weeks where I just kept telling myself no I couldn’t do it. But finally I couldn’t say no anymore. I would fall asleep imagining bringing him home and taking him on all sorts of adventures. It finally got to a point where I knew I just needed to try to adopt him.

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I talked to the staff at my apartment first and made sure his weight wasn’t going to be an issue. They confirmed there are only breed restrictions not weight restrictions, so I was a go there. Then I filled out the application and patiently awaited my decision. After about a week I got a very congratulatory phone call saying I’d been approved and I could pick Mason up that weekend. I was beyond thrilled. When I went to pick Mason up that Saturday, everyone at the rescue was so happy for the both of us that I knew I had made the right decision.

I’ve only had Mason for a couple of weeks but he’s been everything I’ve imagined and more. After waiting for a home at MTBR for about 8 months, I think he is just as appreciative as I am.

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Adopting Mason has added so much joy to my life. He makes me smile every day and he’s just a happy, loving, easygoing boy to have around. Without Tails of the Trail and MTBR I never would have met him and he might still be waiting for his forever home. I feel very lucky to have found both of these organizations and one especially great dog.

Kaye Kleine is a recent transplant to Nashville and is an event leader for Tails of the Trail.

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