Necessity is the mother of invention - Purse Strap Leash and Belt leash

I probably wouldn't have thought of this, if it wasn't for the varrious dogs in our neighborhood who walk around with collars on. You never know when you'll suddenly need top help someone.

My easiest case was a little poodle boy names Chase, who I first spotted walking down out street, dragging a little blue leash behind him and looking rather lost. He was trotting along cheerfully but with the leash behind him and no one in sight my heart leaped into my throat and I choked out a "Stop!" I sweet talked him until he trotted past me and I just picked up the leash and he was mine! -but he had no tags... Crap. As I stood holding this sweet little boy, who was shaking, nervous about being held by a stranger. Then I noticed a truck, slowly rolling down a nearby street. I heard the man whistling and turned around, holding the poodle. He held a hand to his heard and pulled over. "Chase boy, what are you doing?" Chase looked at me and wagged, perking up to his name. Easiest rescue ever

But they are not all that easy. At one point I was walking to a friends house when a hound walked out in front of me. He was happy to see me but now what.... no collar, and I only had my purse.

A simple Purse strap, like this one, can be a standard leash or a slip lead

I looked at my purse and realized the strap could detach, so I popped it off clipped the clip around the strap and made a slip lead, and thus the purse strap leash was invented. If the dog has a collar you can clip the clip on the D-ring or around the fabric.

A fabric belt, like this one, can make a great leash

Also, you can use a fabric belt as a slip lead or belt leash. Just slip one end through both D rings (as seen above) and it makes a perfect slip lead.  Where there is a will, there is a way and don't let "not coming prepare" be your reason to no step in. You may have everything you need and just not know it.

Gloves (Latex and Rubber)

Ok, so I got my first pair of gloves (latex) on an earlier transport (Buddy) because his foster thought I might need a pair (Buddy had a hurt leg and was getting surgery). It turned out I didn't need them for that transport but being the horder I am I tossed them in my little plastic crate and assumed that maybe one day I would need them.

For once I was right. At one point I picked up a litter of seven puppies who had previously had a skin condition which could be contagious to humans. I found this out once I was already at the pick up and needed to transfer the pups from one crate to another. The last transport was using a wipe on her hands and unfortunately hadn't had any gloves. I loaned her another great tool from my kit, hand sanitizer, and as I stared at the pups, I realized, "Oh my god I still have the gloves from Buddy's transport!" I opened my kit and sure enough, there was the pair of gloves, almost 5 months later.

Rubber Gloves in 3 lengths

The pair i had just barely covered my wrists, but they did the job and even though the pups later tested as clean (nothing contagious) you still have to be cautious. As much as I love dogs, I would not love to exchange Sarcoptic Mange which is also called Scabies (aka the seven year itch, ouch!).  Gloves are one way you can help prevent the transfer of these ailments.

There are several types which can be helpful. The first are Rubber Gloves, like the ones associated with cleaning house. These come in several sizes and lengths. Some lengths only cover just to the wrist while others cover most of the forearm.

Obviously coverage is the benefit here, and these gloves can be reused. The down-side is that if you are going to reuse them, you'll need to sanitize them to protect other dogs. These can cost up to about 2 dollars a pair, I would not pay more than that. You can find these at places like your local pharmacy.

Latex Gloves.

Latex Gloves are the other option. These also come in various sizes and sometimes you can find longer ones, but the standard is just above the wrist. These are slightly less durable that the rubber gloves, but they do help to protect against transmission of parasites or disease.

The benefit is protection and that these are disposable, one use and then toss them. They are also fairly cheap, with 100 gloves (50 pairs) at about $5-$7. The down side is that they only protect the hands and wrists (not the forearm like the long rubber gloves) and are a little less durable.

PLEASE NOTE: Some people are ALLERGIC to Latex. There are other non-latex gloves that these people can use (like Nitrile gloves). Before you loan gloves to other people, please ask if they are allergic to Latex, it takes seconds and could save lives including their own!


Also, gloves can come powdered or plain. Really this part is up to you. I prefer powdered because when it's hot it helps keep my hands dry.

Whether it is just one pair you stash aside for a "rainy day" or an entire box of gloves, they can not only protect us from ailments, but can also come in handy when dogs create little messes that need to be cleaned. Do yourself a favor and stash a pair in your kit. You never know when or why you'll need them!

How NOT to transport Cat's

This week we've had to face another horrible example of how not to transport. A couple took on the responsibility of transporting 12 adult cats and 29 kittens and failed miserably by leaving all 41 kitties in the car, windows up, in cardboard carriers, with out food or water, overnight while they slept elsewhere.

Of the 41 Kitties (12A, 29K) 18 of them (4A, 14K)were dead by morning and more have died sense. The remaining ones are dealing with urine burns, dehydration and other health issues.

I wonder if this couple ever thought "I wonder how I would feel if I were jammed in a car with 40 other beings with out food, water, or air for hours on end." Perhaps if they had, I wouldn't be writing this post and instead people could be posting to find new homes for them. Instead, they're gone and the couple will never be allowed to transport again, at least not for anyone who cares for animals at all.

What a waste...

How NOT to transport a dog...

This week a woman came up with an interesting way to transport a puppy... by Air mail... in a sealed box... with no Air, food or water.

Here is little "Guess," a schnauzer poodle mix, shortly after his ordeal.

The owner claimed the sound in the box was a toy robot and cautioned them to be very careful with it.

Then the box hopped off the counter. The post office worker opened it up and found "Guess" inside, panting.

Had he made it past the desk, he would have been mailed in the cargo hold of a plane, and would have probably froze to death, had he not been injured, suffocated, dehydrated, or starved first. He was supposed to be a present for a child... kinda traumatizing to open a box full of dead puppy for your birthday.

Around his neck was a make-shift collar with money in it. When confronted about the fact that the puppy could have died, she just rolled her eyes, and left.

She did return, however, to ask for the money she paid to ship the box and the money in the collar. The post office worker did what I would have done, and told the woman to get out.

She will be facing animal cruelty charges and Guess will be getting a new family.

Remember the "ponies need food" rule of transport? Yea they need AIR too....

To read more about this story, Click Here!

Video about the story bellow.

Plastic Crate with Lid

This is a 12"L x 9"W x 5"D plastic box from a dollar store.
Only $1 and it keeps your organized and safe.

Also can double as a water dish in a pinch!

Transport Binder

A Transport Binder is your Road Bible.

Things that should be inside:

• Directions to your most common stops * (See bottom)
•  Contacts - The names, numbers and addresses of the key figures in the rescue, who you are transporting to, the vet, the shelter, etc
• A sheet about your Transportees - I made a basic information sheet which asks the dogs name, description (EX: the blonde lab), medications, last time fed, etc
• Pencil pouch with pens and pencils
• Small planner (think dollar tree monthly cal.) so I can compare my work and rescue schedules.

* A note about the Directions - I have 4 common stops and directions to every possible combination of them. Ex: Vet → Foster, Shelter → Vet, Shelter → Foster, and all reverse directions, plus directions home from every location. {going a lot of new places? Invest in a GPS}.

The reason for the redundancy in directions is because transports can change in a heart beat. You may be planning to get the dog from the shelter and take them to the foster, but when they are unable to stand up and are shaking, they're going to the vet, and you need to know how to get there.

Germ-X Hand Sanitizer

This is one of those common sense items we might not always think of.

A small bottle of Germ-X (or other brand) hand sanitizer can really come in handy.

I use a 3 oz container and refill it from a larger bottle, this way it only takes up a small amount of space in my kit, but can always be full.

Common reasons to have this?

• You want to eat but have been handling a dog which may or may not have health conditions or is a little less then shining clean. (they're dogs, it happens)
• You had to clean up after a lil accident (see the above parentheses)
• Too many doggy kisses (again, they're dogs, it happens)
• surface cleaning (germ-x + tissue/paper towel = cleaning wipe)

I store mine in a sandwich sized zip-lock just in case it happens to leak. Also, in a pinch, the zip-lock can be used to clean up the little accidents we mentioned above, and then you can use the germ-x!