Food 4 Paws

07/02/2025

Good morning. Today would have been Bella's 16th adoptaversary. Yep, we adopted her from the Animal Rescue Legue in Marshalltown, IA. Which is where I'm from ironically. I found her on a Petfinder search. She was 7 and half months old. Her name was Rumor. I knew I wanted to name her Bella. She had this funny little cowlick at the base of her tail. We were told she was Golden Retriever and Yellow Lab mix. She was all Golden to us.
On the way home I looked back at her and said Rumor. No response. I said Bella and she looked at me. I knew that was the right name for her. And the rest is history. I miss her but I know she is ok. And what is on my July calendar when I turned the page this morning?? Butterflies!!
Have a great day.
Remember I will be CLOSED FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. So get in and get stocked up today or tomorrow.

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07/01/2025

Good afternoon. Whew, it's been a busy day. For which I am grateful.
Remember I will be CLOSED JULY 4th AND 5th. So come in and get stocked up for a safe and fun 4th!!

Also for those that are feeding the humming birds. In this hot and humid weather it is important to change that water every day. Or at least every other day. It can get nasty moldy very quickly.
I mix 1 cup of sugar in 4 cups of water and heat on low for 4 minutes. Store in a quart jar in the fridge.

Have a great day and stay cool. I still have frozen yogurt cups in stock. Makes for a cool treat on a hot day.

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06/28/2025

Good morning. Here we are at the end of another month. Half way through the year already. Time does really fly by. That's why it is important to enjoy every minute we can. I know we live in a very busy world. I feel like I am just running from one thing to another every day. But I do try to take those moments to rub my dog's tummies. Get kisses from Ruby. Watch the baby birds that just left the nest yesterday.
Every day is a gift. Enjoy it and be kind!!

Remember I will be CLOSED JULY 4TH AND 5TH!!
Stop in and get stocked up on all your pet's needs before then.
Have a great day!

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06/27/2025

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06/27/2025

15 feet. That's the distance 2x a year she had to make it.

12 steps for an adult human.

When she hatched, this road was not paved. In the 1000 generation before her, this had been a meadow next to a pond. Not the alien, hard, hot surface it was now.

The first 5 years of her life, she defied the odds. Her eggmates never hatched, dug up by raccoon and opossum. Those siblings who did, eaten by Heron, bass and bullfrog.

For 5 years, she hid in the reeds and grew as quickly as she could. To a size that helped deter all but the largest of predators. And with a fearsome bite and bad attitude, she became the queen of the swamp.

After 10 years of growing, the need to pass on her genes came. She could in good conditions and with a bit of luck make this journey the next 70 summers.

She began to cross the road. Great roaring beasts screamed by. But there was no reason to fear. For nature had evolved her to be an Apex Predator. A living tank that could slow even the Black Bear.

Suddenly a glancing blow on her shell followed immediately by another. Immense pain as her shell, the shell so hard it could stop the bite of a bobcat, was cracked almost in 1/2. The great beast did not stop to feed, nor did it look back. It simply attacked the queen and moved on.

Her strength quickly draining, she attempted to pull herself to safety. To where she had laid her eggs, to where she herself had hatched all those years ago. She would never reach it.

As the pain would overtake her, she closed her Golden eyes for the last time and passed in the sun.

15 feet. 2x a year.

Please slow down

06/27/2025

Good morning. It's a bit cooler today but warming up again this weekend.
I have lots of cool treats for your pups. Frozen yogurt and bone broth cups.
And next Friday is the 4th of July!!! Already!! I have calming chews to help them get through the noisy holiday.
I will be CLOSED FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, JULY 4TH AND 5TH.
So get in and get stocked up on all your pet's needs before then.
Have a great day!!

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06/26/2025

Good morning. It's a hot one already. I'd like it a little cooler please.
Let's talk about when you need to take your dog to the vet.
That can vary depending on many things. Your ability to sort out what may be going on. Some things you can think about are is the pet eating, drinking, peeing, p**ping? What is their demeanor? Are they lethargic? Or more subtle signs of hiding, laying in odd spots they don't normally lay? Panting? This is a sign of pain sometimes.
I have learned over the years that pets don't tell us they are sick until they are SICK!! Especially cats. They are very good at hiding an illness.
And listen to your gut. If something is off it is better to get it checked out than not to. I know the diagnostics can be expensive. But it is a process of elimination. You may only learn what it isn't and not what it is. But... again process of elimination.
And this heat can disrupt a pet. Even though they are inside where it is cool. They can't go out as much as maybe they are used to.
Listen to your pets. Pay attention to their habits. And when in doubt go see the vet.
Also I would like to share the name of a specialty clinic that I have known about and had friends go to.

Madison Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Care 608-274-7772.
Make a note of this. I have heard wonderful things about them.
They are in Madison, WI.
Have a GREAT day and stay COOL!!

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06/25/2025

Good morning. My heart is with Tia from Pitbulls and Parolees and all that she said in the post that I just shared. All I can say is just be kind to each other and help where you can.

On another note the 4th of July is next weekend.
will be CLOSED Friday and Saturday, July 4th and 5th.
Be sure to get in this week and next week for all that you need to have a safe and fun holiday weekend.
I have lots of calming aids to help your pet get through all the noise that I'm sure will be happening.
Lots of treats and chews. Stop in and get stocked up.
Be safe and stay cool.

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06/25/2025

IT'S HARD TO ASK FOR HELP

It's been a sad week in the world of animal rescue. First, a transport van filled with dogs going to their new homes in NY, exploded into flames (they are still investigating.) The driver managed to save a few of the dogs, but the rest perished in the fire. Our hearts are broken along with theirs as we worry about these types of things every time we hit the road ourselves.

Then, a very much beloved wildlife rescue took her own young life after years of cyber-bullying, leaving behind a heartbroken husband, a daughter, and, of course, her sweet rescued animals.

My heart is so heavy right now. Amid all this sadness, we too have our own worries of trying to keep our doors open. The decline in donations is more than words can describe.

If you scroll through our social media pages, you will see that we rarely "beg" for money. We assume that people are aware that we are a non-profit organization, which relies on donations. Unfortunately, it's simply not the case. At times, we feel invisible.

Yet when I do post for help, it has become all too common for the haters to insert their ugliness of "You don't need the money. You drive a luxury car"...mind you, I drive a 1997 and a 2003 vehicle. And the list goes on of the things they pick at of "why we don't need the money." Of course, the issue of us housing HUNDREDS of dogs and cats never plays a part in their rant against us.

So it is with hesitation that I have to ask for help. Last month y'all helped us raise the money we needed to get our transport van repaired (she's got about 200K miles on her, but she's hanging in there). We cannot thank you enough! However, we now move on to other needs.

Our work truck is in the shop with an unpaid bill. Our very high vet bills can never seem to get down to a zero balance. And the list goes on. Any and I mean any donation that you can spare would be so greatly appreciated.

Here is the link to our donation page: https://vrcpitbull.com/how-you-can-help/donations/

And to the haters...please just keep scrolling by. The sadness and despair that all of us animal rescuers are feeling right now cannot deal with anymore. We are simply asking for help to continue saving the dogs (and cats) that everyone claims to love so much.

06/24/2025

06/24/2025

Good afternoon. I hope you all survived a very hot weekend
Earlier this spring some barn swallows built a nest under my pergola. It's a roof over my patio basically. They did this last year, then another bird tore it down. But the barn swallows prevailed and got another one built. I graciously allowed this even though they p**p on my patio. Now the youngsters are about ready to leave the nest. I hope anyway. I see 3 little beaks peeking out over the nest. But now, the mama or papa, is dive bombing me when I'm outside. I mean SWOOPING CLOSE to me!!!! I told them I LET you build that nest there now stop this!! She came right at me this morning when I was brushing Kally.
We used to have a robin do this when we lived in our other house in town. That house sat closer to the sidewalk. It was funny, well not funny, but whenever people would walk by the robin would swoop at them too. You would see these people ducking to avoid this bird coming at them. That robin even went after our cocker spaniel we had at the time.
Have a great day and stay cool.

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06/23/2025

A puppy mill can be obvious, or it can be well hidden.

A puppy mill can be a large-scale commercial dog breeding facility where profit is prioritized over the well-being of the animals or it can be a small breeder that keeps dozens of animals in their home in conditions that could be considered inhumane.

A puppy mill can be an unlicensed facility that operates without any state or federal oversight or it can be a licensed facility with, or without, violations but keeps their dogs in inhumane conditions.

A puppy mill can sell online, in a store, on your social media feed, even your local paper.

Confusing, right?

This is why it is crucial for us as animal advocates to keep speaking and having conversations with those who are choosing to buy a puppy, as much as we wish they would adopt. If we can help steer our friends, family, and colleagues away from supporting cruel and inhumane facilities, then we have done something big in the fight to end the cruel and inhumane industry that profits off of the suffering of dogs. Every sale taken away from a puppy mill is another reminder for them to change their practices or retire.

Thank you for helping us reach even more people with our research and advocacy efforts! In the last 6 days an additional 22,000 people visited our website because of the release of our new licensed breeder search engine. We hope that this will be the latest tool in the toolbox for families and advocates to use in the fight against puppy mills.

In case you missed it, you can view our search engine here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/search-engine/

If you want to see more of our research, visit our hub here: https://bailingoutbenji.com/puppy-mill-maps/cvi-data/