Going to the dogs

Computer Life column for June 13, 1998
by
Richard Gordon

A colleague stopped me last week and suggested I mention the Delaware Humane Association's Web area (www.dca.net/dha) in one of my columns.

Nine years ago, I was one of a handful of Rhodesian Ridgeback owners with anything as spiffy as an e-mail address. Ridgebacks are a breed of dog known for their independent intelligence--after all, they were used to hold a lion at bay until the hunter and his gun would arrive.

At the time, about 30 of us found each other on line, so we began a simple mailing list. That list now has over 850 subscribers (inet.net/~richard/RR/list.html).

As the Internet grew, some of us asked the Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States (RRCUS) if we could create a Web site. While their board discussed our request, a breeder from Washington state and I helped update the Internet Ridgeback Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) file (www.k9web.com/dog-faqs).

We were allowed to start a pilot RRCUS Web site. After a few years, the RRCUS board saw the import of maintaining a Web presence and took over the Web site (rrcus.org).

The information about Ridgebacks in general and the various activities in which Ridgebacks participate (conformation shows, obedience trials, agility trials, lure-coursing trials, and the like) that RRCUS makes available is truly impressive. But the part that is closest to my heart is the list of which volunteer is responsible for helping homeless Ridgebacks find new families in different parts of the country.

My family used to be very active in breed rescue--helping dogs of "our breed" get placed in new homes. We found that electronic resources made a lot of our work easier.

In one case, we used e-mail to arrange a placement of a New Jersey dog with a family from Chicago. I drove Charlie out to Columbus, Ohio, where we met his new family. The whole adoption and transfer was arranged via e-mail.

Then there was Zoey, a Ridgeback injured in a car accident, never treated, chained in its owner's back yard for 18 months, then turned in to a Humane Association shelter in Southeastern Pennsylvania. After having a leg amputated, Zoey spent about 4 weeks with my family while we found her a home. Again, the arrangements were made via e-mail: Zoey's new owner drove down from New Hampshire to pick her up.

The material that my wife put on the Web back in 1994 still forms the basis for many of the RRCUS rescue resources.

RRCUS is not the only dog club doing this kind of work; I mention them because my family used to be active in their efforts. Rescuing "your breed's" dogs from shelters and other distress can be heart-wrenching. But it is an important part of what any dog club or breeder should do.

Some of the toughest stories come from people involved in Greyhound rescue. Only a small percentage of the Greyhounds raised for racing have successful careers. The rest are usually discarded--that is, killed. Many retired racers also face that fate.

One regional Web site that introduces the Greyhound problem is "Scribe's Addiction" (members.aol.com/ladyscribe/User/index.htm). Here Susan Garva includes introductory material on the subject and links to other resources.

The abuse and abandonment of pets is a serious problem for responsible breeders of all domestic animals and a nagging nuisance for all of us. Visit Kyler Laird's excellent list of nationwide rescue resources for dogs, cats, and other animals (www.ecn.purdue.edu/~laird/animal_rescue) if you want to help.

All of which leads back to the Delaware Humane Association, one of the local shelters that tries very hard to help animals find new homes, reunite lost pets with their owners, and promote the ethical treatment of animals. Their site also includes information about volunteer opportunities and ways to support their efforts financially. The cause is important enough to me that I'll close by repeating their Web address: www.dca.net/dha.

Copyright © 1998, The News Journal Company

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