All Creatures Big And Small, Inc.




Our Adoptable Pet List
Click here to see our pets that have already found wonderful homes!







The greatest gift you can give to our rescue is having your pet spayed or neutered.


Did You Know?


• Two unaltered cats and all their unaltered descendants can number as many as 420,000 in just seven years.
•Two unaltered dogs and their descendants can number 67,000 in six years.
Be a part of the solution NOT part of the problem, Don't Litter!

Thinking about going to a breeder or letting your pet have "just one litter" before having them altered since all of your friends want a dog just like yours? Please take a look at all the needy faces on Petfinder and in local shelters before making that decision. Though you may be a responsible owner with your pet, do you know the people purchasing/getting a puppy from you will do the same? Hundreds of healthy pets locally are euthanized every year because owners no longer want them...the lucky ones end up in shelters and at least get a chance at finding a new home...maybe even yours? This situation is echoed across America due to the pet overpopulation problem.




Support Responsible Rescues!


It is exciting to see up-and-coming rescues sprout up throughout CNY helping to save pets in need. Some rescues focus on local pets, others on saving the lives of pets from high-kill shelters but all have a common goal--saving the lives of adoptable pets. Though this a noble effort, it can also be counterproductive when rescues adopt out pets without having them altered or even collecting a spay/neuter deposit. No matter where you stand on the early spay/neuter debate, we should all agree to enforce spay/neuter programs especially when dealing with formerly homeless pets. Sometimes there is a fine line between a rescue and a business. Please support rescues that have been certified non-profit, they will have a 501 (C)3 status through NY state and typically use donations to help other animals in need. If you're adopting a pet for a fee that hasn't even had an exam by a licensed veterinarian or any vaccines, you may want to look elsewhere. If your responsibility to have the pet altered is simply a "promise" to have it done, please do what's best for the hundreds of unwanted pets that are euthanized in our area every year and adopt elsewhere sending a message to these rescues that they need to do more to ensure no other unwanted pets will be created from that once homeless animal. Do your research and please only adopt from responsible rescues and let the others know that if they're not part of the solution, they are only adding to the pet overpopulation problem. Most good rescues will require an application and screening process. Please don't be discouraged by this, it is done out of our love for those we bring into our hearts and homes. We would like our adopted pets to stay with their new families, furever. The sad truth is, six to eight million dogs and cats enter shelters yearly and 3-4 million are euthanized due to lack of space and available homes. Please do your part and adopt a needy pet!



Click on the pictures below to find out more about our special "lifers" and what you can do to help.





Feline Friends Please Help!


Due to recent unexpected veterinary bills and slow adoptions, our bank account is nearly depleated but we are still getting calls for help and have recently taken in 2 litters of kittens in need and have had to turn several other litters down because of lack of foster homes and increasing expense. For the ten kittens currently in our care, it will cost us over $1000 to get them fully vetted and ready to go to their furever homes. Cats/kittens are our biggest expense with vet costs often exceeding $150 per cat/kitten while adoption donations of $75 are asked prior to placement. Additional costs to help spay-the-momma are also incurred so repeat litters are not taken in year after year from the same momma. Your donations are desperately needed at this time to help things balance out so we can continue to help our feline friends. Please help us continue helping them before it's too late...Food/Litter can be delivered to one of our volunteers homes just once or once a month since every little bit helps immensely. Thanks everyone! I know you won't let us down :)


All Creatures Big and Small is a 501(C)3 non-profit pet rescue founded in 2003 by Beulah Sherwood (a licensed veterinary technician) and Marjorie O'Grady to help adoptable pets in need. Our pets come from various places giving priority to pets in Oswego and Jefferson Counties as well as local dog wardens who are only required to hold dogs for 5 days before having them humanely euthanized. Since our incorporation, we have been able to find permanant homes for over 150 of these adoptable dogs in Oswego County saving them from euthanasia in addition to the over 600 other adoptions we have had in the past 5 years. We would like to thank the Dog Wardens for accepting our help and contacting us when they have an adoptable dog in need rather than taking the easy way out and having them put to sleep. We also receive pets from local dog pounds, private owners, other rescues and kill shelters. If you know of a pet in need, please contact us to see if we may be able to help.

The Bishop Spay the Momma Fund!


As a special thanks to one of our volunteers who selflessly donates time each month as a "kennel gal", recruits donations from friends and family and brings supplies to help us stay up and running, we are now renaming our spay-the-momma program the "Bishop Spay the Momma Program" to honor Nancy Bishop for her much appreciated hard work. When we take in litters of unwanted puppies and kittens, we offer a financial donation toward spaying the momma of the litter so we don't receive additional litters from "repeat offenders." This money is paid to the veterinary office of their choice, not to the owners themselves since this would encourage repeat breedings. We have now spayed/neutered ~25 momma's to help do our part in decreasing the local pet population.
In addition, we would like to thank all our rescue friends and family in Rochester for donating food and supplies when we needed them most. Rochester, you rock!

Update!


By supporting our rescue, you are helping us to continue helping them. By adopting, you are helping save two lives...the one you have adopted and the one that will soon take its place at our rescue. With our Spay/Neuter program, since March '07, we have aided in the spaying of three puppy momma's including our "Beagle Momma", the "Shepherd Momma" and the "Spaniel Momma" as well as half a dozen kitty mommas. Help us continue to decrease the stray and homeless pet population by adopting only from rescues and shelters that adopt out pets that are already spayed/neutered or at least take spay/neuter deposits to ensure this necessity will be done. Far too often we hear of "rescued pets" that need our help only after they have had a litter of their own. Unfortunately, many of these pets were acquired from outside of the area and are now adding to our homeless pet population. Be part of the solution, spay and neuter:)





Why Early Spay/Neuter?


Our rescue FIRMLY believes in pediatric spay/neuter and nearly ALL pets are spayed/neutered PRIOR to adoption. Current statistics show that in New York State only 40-50% of the spay/neuter vouchers issued by shelters are ever redeemed! What does this mean? It's simple, a majority of people do not have their pets spayed/neutered even when adopted from a shelter or rescue! With new rescues popping up in Jefferson, Oswego and Onondaga County on almost a daily basis, this means BIG problems for population control. A contract doesn't guarantee anything...the only way to prevent pet overpopulation is to act and have pets spayed/neutered prior to adoption. For more info on early spay/neutering, please click on the pediatric spay/neuter icon above.




URGENT


We have had a few people in the recent past decide to go elsewhere to save a really "Urgent" animal rather than adopting one of our "safe" pets. Though our pets are with us until they are adopted, we consider all of the them to be urgent as well since in times like these, we are full and can't take in any additional pets until more have been adopted. When we can't take pets in, many will die due to lack of space at local dog wardens facilities or urgency of needing to place them from their very own families. You can rest assured that the faces you see on our website will find homes through us or other rescues we are in contact with, but please realize that our phones don't stop ringing with additional pets in need that there is just no place for. Remember to search local dog wardens facilities and pounds before going to a private breeder, approximately 25% of dogs in shelters ARE purebred but since dogs can't read, they often don't bring along their registration papers.



Special Pets


What makes our pets soo special? They are hand selected. Since we are a private rescue, we can be selective about who we take in. Though we try to help as many pets as we can, in order to do so we must shy away from those with severe personality disorders. Our pets are tested with other dogs, cats, children and people of all shapes and sizes. Animals are kept at our homes with our very own pets and families; those with aggressive tendencies just wouldn't fit in with our living arrangements. This close relationship with our fur-kids allows us to be knowledgeable about their individual temperaments and personalities as well as their likes and dislikes. When discussing a particular pet, we will be honest with you about their shortcomings as well as their good points so that you have the "full picture" prior to setting up an appointment. We like our adoptions to be permanent; we believe our fur-kids deserve that, don't you?



Adoption Requirements


Adoptions are limited to a 500 mile radius of Lacona, NY. Transport will not be arranged and pets will not be shipped to new homes. Pets are adopted to INDOOR HOMES only and are required to be kept up to date on yearly exams and vaccinations. Adopters must fill out an adoption application and go through a phone interview prior to setting up an appointment. Once an appointment is arranged, if all goes well the new pet will be able to go home with the adoptive family on the same day! Prospective adoptive families must be willing to travel to Lacona or Mexico, NY to view the pet they are interested in; all members of the household are required to come to the adoption including dogs currently living in the household, NO EXCEPTIONS! Our policies are not meant to discourage anyone from adopting, we just want to make sure our pets go to better homes than most of them came from. We don't screen to discourage adoptions, but because we love them and we want them to stay with their new families fur-ever. An adoption donation and veterinary reference check are also required.



About Our Pets


All pets accepted into our rescue are fully vetted prior to adoption. They are examined by a licensed veterinarian, vaccinated, dewormed, deflead and spayed/neutered prior to adoption. We participate in a pediatric spay/neuter program at our veterinary clinic and pets as young as 10wks of age are altered and heal remarkably fast. Adult cats are felv/fiv tested negative prior to accepting them and litters of kittens are tested by using a represenative sample of the litter. All dogs and puppies are started on heartworm prevention and those over 6 months of age are heartworm tested. We expect prospective adopters to keep up this same standard of care.

Adoption Donation


We require adoption donations to help cover a portion of the veterinary medical expenses. Adult cats $70, Kittens $75, Adult dogs over 30# $175, dogs under 30# and puppies $250-$350 (unless otherwise stated). These donations routinely don't even cover the cost of having them spay/neutered let alone the rest of the veterinary care provided to them. Because of this, all prices are firm.


Why are some pets more expensive than others?


As much as we hate to say it, the reason some pets are more expensive than others is because of supply and demand. Typically, small dogs will find homes quicker than larger breeds and many of these very mixes are even sold by "breeders" for hundreds of dollars. Since they are in demand, we try to at least cover their veterinary expenses in their adoption donation and, if possible, any extra monies can be used to make up the difference for the larger dogs. For us to provide care for a female dog >50# and have her fully vetted, we normally spend over $250 only to adopt her out for $175. The cat scenario is much worse. Each adult female cat we take in costs the rescue nearly $200 in veterinary expenses only to be adopted out for $70. Due to the slow turnaround of our feline friends and steady influx, we spend nearly $100 per month in basic necessities such as food, litter and cleaning supplies. At this time, our dog and puppy adoptions are making up the difference to carry our cat/kitten program...we would be forced to stop helping our feline friends without this extra support. We hope you can now understand our reasoning.





The TRUTH about Pet Stores


Time and time again we hear about puppies being "rescued" from pet stores. People hate to see them sitting in those little cages so they buy them for ridiculous prices. The truth is, reputable breeders are often less expensive and have better quality pet puppies than any store can offer. Puppies in pet stores don't need rescued, they are safe. Purchasing them ensures more puppies will be bought and brought in for sale in the future. The real victims of pet stores are the parents--the breeding moms and dads. The sad reality is, pet store puppies come from puppy mills. No matter what line of crap the associates tell you about registered breeders/ broker breeder programs, etc. it all only means one thing...they breed A LOT of animals so they have to be registered. Brokers are like clearing houses for puppies, they buy from millers and resell the pets quickly all over the U.S. and even Europe. The breeders of these pets AKA Millers have HUNDREDS of dogs crammed in cages only large enough to turn around. Many are sick and have open wounds...they are there for one thing only: to be breeding factories. When their litter sizes begin to shrink, they are pulled and killed or sold so as not to be a waste of dog food. This is a BIG industry making LOTS of money. Despite selling puppies to stores for $100-$300, they make LOADS of money by dealing in volume. Yes, you may get a happy, healthy puppy from a pet store but remember who may be sitting in the cage at home ready to breed again. Please say "NO" to pet stores, the lives of thousands depend on you! With chain stores opening up in the syracuse area, please do your research before purchasing a puppy. Google HUNT CORPORATION to learn more about where these thousand dollar puppies come from!



Chandler
Pulled from a kill shelter in WV and adopted in 2006.

A DAY AT THE POUND


As a journalist, I decided to go to the dog pound, and interview some of the "inmates". I wanted to know what it was like in there from their perspective. What follows is not for the faint of heart.
I entered the building, and one of the workers accompanied me to the holding area. This is where dogs are kept before they are allowed up for adoption IF they are allowed up for adoption. If the dogs are found to be aggressive in any way, euthanasia is employed. Fortunately, if "fortunately" is the word to be used here this is a Canadian establishment, and they use lethal injection, not a gas chamber.
The pound worker led me past a big steel door that says "Employees Only". "What is in there?" I asked. From the look he gave me, I knew that this is where dogs go in, and never return.
We moved on to a row of kennels. The dogs were barking loudly, there was the acrid smell of urine and feces, and a feeling of despair seemed to permeate the room.
"Go ahead," the worker said. "They're all yours."

Pete
I looked into the first kennel, and saw only the back of a medium sized dog who was curled up in the corner of his kennel, shivering. He was mostly white, with some black spots. "Hello?" I said. "May I come in?" He lifted his head, as though it weighed more than he could bear. When he looked at me, I could see he was a Pitbull. His eyes were gentle, but filled with grief.
"Enter," was all he said.
I stepped in, closing the gate behind me. He put his head back down, facing away from me. I crouched down a few feet away.
"My name is Pete. Petey my Master called me," he said, still not looking at me.
"Why are you here Pete?" I asked.
"I am here because Master cannot afford to move to another province. I am here because someone with power said I am vicious, and a killer. Someone who never met me. Master took me for a walk one day, and some lady started to scream when she saw me. I got frightened, and barked at her. The dog police came, and they took me away. I have been with Master for 10 years. The last time I saw him, he just held me and cried. He kept telling me he was sorry. I worry for him. Whatever will he do without me?" Pete shivered even more.
A tear slid down my face. I am supposed to remain objective, but this was wrong so wrong.
"Thank you Pete." I said. He said nothing as I got up and left his kennel.

Popper
The kennel next to Pete's held a very young looking dog. Pure Border Collie by my guess. He stood on his hind legs, looking at me through the gate.
"Hello. My name's Popper. He tilted his head. "Are you here to take me home?"
"No, I'm sorry," I replied. "But I would like to talk with you."
"Sure. What would you like to talk about?"
"Popper, how did you come to be in this place?" I asked.
Popper dropped down from the gate, with a perplexed look on his face. He walked to the back of the kennel, then back to the front. I noticed he had one blue eye, and one brown. He was quite beautiful. His black and white coat was shiny and thick.
"I am not certain WHY I am here. I think maybe my family will come back for me. They bought me when I was only 6 weeks old. I remember they said how smart Border Collies are, and how it would be so easy to train me. They were very excited at first. The little ones played with me all the time. But the trouble with little Masters is, they refuse to stay in a group. I constantly had to nip their heels to keep them together." He looked confused. "Why won't they stay in a group?" he sighed. "So I did what I thought I should do. I am not quite sure why the little ones screamed when I did my job, but they did, and the Masters got very angry at me. They also got angry when I had to relieve myself, and did so in the house. I am not sure where they expected me to go. All they said was that I was the smartest breed in the world, and I should just KNOW better. Then they left me in the yard for a month or so. I got bored a lot, and I dug holes in the grass. The next thing I knew, the Masters brought me here."
Popper jumped back up on the gate, his white paws protruding through the links. He looked at me with his lovely eyes, and asked "Will you please let them know I want to come home? Please tell them I promise I will be good?"
"I will Popper," I said.

Spartan
My heart was breaking. I was beginning to regret coming here, but their stories had to be told. I moved along. The next dog I saw looked to be easily 100 lbs., a Rottweiler. He was handsome indeed, except for the scars on his face and back. He tilted his head, and looked me right in the eyes.
"Hello. Who are you?" he asked.
"I am a reporter," I replied. "May I speak with you for a little while?"
"Most certainly. My name is Spartan. You can come in, I won't bite," he said.
"Thank you Spartan. I will."
I entered his kennel, reached out and stroked his giant head. He made a loud grumbling noise, and closed his eyes.
"Spartan, why are you here?"
Before he could answer my question, he was suddenly in the grip of a nasty coughing spasm. It sounded painful.
"Please excuse me," he said when it passed. "Kennel cough. It seems all of us who come in here get it.
"Why am I here? Well, about two years ago, I was born in the backyard of some person I can't even recall. I had 11 brothers and sisters. I recall a day when a big man came and gave that person some money, and took me away from my mother. They had to chain her up, as she was very angry that he took me. They chained her and beat her. I came to know the man by the name of Jim. I overheard him telling his friends that I would grow up to be big and mean like my mother. But as I grew older, all I wanted to do was play and be friends with everyone. Jim said I needed to be taught how to be mean, so he chained me up in the yard. No more house for me, he said, I was too spoiled. When people came by to visit, I was so happy to see them. I wanted them to come and play. But that made Jim angry, so he beat me with sticks and chains. When he came near, I would roll onto my back so he would know I wasn't a bad dog. That made him beat me more." Spartan's eyes clouded with grief. "Then he brought me here."
I reached out and stroked Spartan's massive gentle head once more. "I am so sorry Spartan. Some people are just plain evil." I gave him a kiss and left his kennel.
As I walked away, Spartan called out, "What will happen to me, nice lady?"
I shook my head. "I can't say Spartan. Maybe someone kind will come and get you. We can only hope."

Patsy
I walked a little further down. I could see a shape moving at the back of the next kennel. "Hello?" I called out. Suddenly the shape lunged at the gate in a fury, barking and gnashing its teeth. I stumbled backwards, and crashed into an adjacent kennel. The other dogs began barking loudly and jumping at their gates.
"Don't go near her," a small female voice came from behind me. "She's mad."
I gathered myself back together, and saw a little Jack Russell Terrier behind me.
"Thanks for the warning," I was still trembling. Across the way, the other dog, apparently a Husky and German Shepherd cross, was glaring at me, lips curled back revealing brown stained teeth. Her ribs and hips showed through her dull, matted grey coat. The little dog invited me into her kennel, and I gladly went in.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Patsy." The little brown and white dog held a paw up to the gate in greeting.
"My owner surrendered me. She said she wanted a cute little dog like the one on the TV show, Frasier. She didn't bother to look into the type of dog I am." Patsy heaved a sigh.
"I suppose she expected me to just lie about and only need a short walk each day, just like Eddie, but my energy was so high that I needed to run and play." She glanced at her surroundings. "Now I am here. I suppose it could be worse. I could be likeher." Patsy looked towards the still growling dog across the way.
"What happened to make her so vicious?" I asked.
"From what we could gather," she replied. "she was found tied in a back yard. She only had a three foot chain. Some days there was no water. Rarely was there any food. One day a nice neighbour came by and brought her some meat. By then it was too late. She was already mad. She broke off her chain, and bit the poor man badly. We know she will be going behind the steel door. I am sad to say, I think it will be best. Perhaps then she will know some peace."
Just then, the door at the end of the building opened, and a woman stepped inside. All the dogs began to bark wildly, then one by one, they went quiet.
I whispered to Patsy, "Who is that? Why have all the dogs gone quiet?"
Patsy breathed deeply through her little nose, and closed her eyes. "SHE is a Rescuer. Can't you smell it?" she asked.
"Smell what?" I was confused.
"Compassion. Love. Sorrow. It emanates from her pores. She is here for one of us, but nobody knows who just yet." Patsy looked hopeful.
The Rescuer moved from kennel to kennel, looking at each dog. I sat quietly watching. I could see tears in her eyes as she made eye contact with each one. She stopped at Spartan's cage and spoke quietly to him.
"No more beatings my man. No more. You are coming with me. From here on in, it's all going to get better."
The Rescuer produced a leash, opened the kennel door, and took Spartan away. As he walked beside her, his little stubby tail wagged with delight.
Patsy sighed again. I could see the disappointment in her eyes, and it grieved me. They all had the same look, as they watched The Rescuer depart.
"I am so sorry Patsy," I said in a whisper. "But you are a little dog, and everyone loves little dogs. I am convinced you will be rescued soon." Patsy's brown eyes twinkled at me, a little bit of hope returning.
I had heard and seen enough. I needed to tell people how it was for these unfortunate creatures. They were all here through no fault of their own. I stood to leave. I passed by many other dogs I did not interview, looking at each one, wishing I could take them all home with me and give them the love they deserved. I stood by the door taking one last glance back, when it opened, and one of the pound workers came in. His face was drawn and sad. He walked by without a word, and stopped at Pete's kennel. I heard him take a deep breath, then he paused, and opened the kennel door.
The words were muffled, but I am sure I heard him say "I'm sorry old boy."
He came out, with Petey in tow. The old dog's head hung down in resignation, and they both disappeared behind the big steel door.

--- I no longer use language that accepts the current concept of animals as property, commodities and/or things. Rather than refer to myself and others as "owners" of animals, I now refer to myself and others as "guardians" of our animal companions and to animals as "he" or "she" rather than "it". I urge you to do the same.

Copyright
Sally Hull
July 6th/2006


Please copy and paste a completed adoption application to your inquiry; since we receive dozens of emails each week, those accompanied by a completed application will be given priority. All breeds listed on our website are "best guesses". Due to limited history we cannot say with 100% certainty what breed of pet is listed or what their exact age is; with the help of our veterinarians we try to list our pets as the breed(s) they most closely resemble and age them according to the condition of their teeth. In a nutshell, we give it our best.
We will try to respond to your emails within 48 hours.
If your mind is set on adopting a new pet today, please look elsewhere, we are strictly volunteer and have no shelter facility. Pets cannot be moved from their foster homes on a minutes notice and reference checks normally cannot be arranged on a same day basis.


Adoption Application


Name of pet you are interested in:
Your name:
Address:
Phone number:
Place of employment:
Best time to call you:
email address:
Do you own or rent your home?
If renting, name and phone number of landlord:
Are you at least 18 yrs old?
Do you have any children living at home?
If so, how old are they?
Do you currently have any pets?
If so, please list name, breed and age:
What kind of other pets have they been around?
If you currently don't have any pets, have you had any animals in the past 5 years?
If so, what kind and why are they no longer with you?
Are/were you pets up to date on vaccines (including rabies AND distemper/parvo)?
Are/were all of your pets spayed/neutered?
Name and phone number of your veterinarian:
Have you ever given a pet away?(answering yes does not mean you will not be approaved to adopt from us)
If so, please explain the circumstance:

Potential dog adopters:
Do you have a fenced yard?
How will you keep your pet restrained when outdoors?
Where do you plan on keeping your pet when you are not home?
Do you plan on keeping your pet on heartworm preventative?

If you can no longer keep this pet, do you agree to contact All Creatures Big and Small FIRST before finding it other living arrangements?

Please initial the following terms to show that you understand and are willing to abide by them to adopt one of our pets:
I understand that this pet is being adopted as an indoor pet, cats will not be permitted to roam freely outdoors and dogs will not be adopted to be tethered to a doghouse. I intend on adopting this pet for my family and understand it cannot be given to a third party as a gift.__________________
I understand that the adoption donation is non-refundable.__________
I understand that all members of the family are required to attend the adoption; this includes dogs living in the house no matter their breed or condition. Pets will not be shipped or transported, our family is willing to travel to Lacona, NY to view them._________


In the event that you do not give truthful answers to the questions above or fail to abide by the terms set forth by All Creatures Big and Small, Inc., the shelter may reclaim the pet previously adopted. By typing your name below, you are agree to and understand the terms of this application and any subsequent adoption contract from All Creatures Big and Small, Inc. pet rescue._________________________________________



Contact Info:
Beulah Sherwood: meowchatz@hotmail.com
Marjorie O'Grady: bogrady@citlink.net