About Us

My Life with Animals

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My name is Emily, and I live in Little Rock, Arkansas. My journey began when my husband John and I rescued Boss, a.k.a. Lucky, from a yard where he was chained to a dilapidated doghouse. Lucky had thousands of fleas running all over his body. He was fed about twice a week and rarely had water.

Lucky's eyes were totally dead when we first saw him. I will never forget the spark of life that came to his eyes when I crouched down and started talking to him. His eyes just lit right up when he received his first bit of human kindness.

Really, it was watching Lucky's eyes come to life that inspired me to start this website and advocate on behalf of chained dogs everywhere. We rescued Lucky and other chained dogs at our own expense (see
My Life with Animals). We also installed trolleys and built fences for chained dogs.

Then we started this Web site, raised money for a local billboard, successfully lobbied for laws in Little Rock and North Little Rock prohibiting fixed-point chaining, and designed brochures about the laws that were mailed to all city residents in their water bill.

Our billboard in Little Rock

It haunts me to think of all of the loving dogs who are living their lives at the end of a chain with no comfort. But two people can only do so much! The only way lasting change will happen is if everyone reading this decides to take just one step to help a chained dog!

Because we both have stressful full-time jobs, we can't answer hundreds of emails each week or help with cruelty cases. That's why we don't have an email address posted on this site. However, I encourage you to check out the wonderful organization Dogs Deserve Better. Through DDB, you can get involved with other activists and receive an E-Newsletter about nationwide efforts to help chained dogs. (To subscribe, enter your address in the yellow box in the right column of the homepage.)

Read about Dan and Tammy, two amazing activists for chained dogs.

My Life with Animals

I have my own companion animals in addition to the animals I've fostered. This is my girl Honey. I rescued her and 3 littermates from the shelter when they were tiny puppies. I could write volumes about Honey! She has been my sweet girl for 10 years now. Honey and I enjoy an early spring morning	We rescued Jack from the shelter when he was a puppy. Honey raised him in a nerve-wracking state of total domination. He is a sweet boy (but nervous, bless his heart!) Alas, Jack didn't win Best Costume at my friend Susan's Puppies and Pumpkins party.	I love walking my dogs. This was a rare snowy day in Arkansas. My chow-mixes love the cold! Another Halloween with Wonder Dog and Super Dog. How could my wonderfully creative and well-crafted costumes not win the judges hearts, I ask?
Honey shows off her Christmas collar - with bells!	Look at that blue chow tongue!	Another Christmas with Honey and Jack.
I rescued Teddy Junior from the shelter, where he had been abandoned. I love chow-chows - they are so gorgeous! I placed TJ into a great home.	We saw Annie chained in the corner of a trashy backyard. Annie was extremely emaciated and starved for attention. We bought her from her owner for $30 and put about 20 pounds on her. This little rottie girl was adopted by a loving family, and she now weighs 100+ pounds!	Maggie was my good friend. She lived on a short chain for seven years before I worked with her owner to build a trolley for her. I used to walk her often. Maggie died, and I still miss her. She was a dignified, smart, beautiful dog who deserved better.
Annabelle was chained by some people who were "keeping" her for a relative. While fixing their fence, they agreed to let us take her. As we were leaving , her owner turned to his friend and said, "That dog isn't worth nothing." Lucky Annabelle now has a wonderful home. What is this sweet girl worth? Money couldn't buy it.	I found Buddy tied to a stop sign in rural Arkansas. I don't know if if was tied up for his whole life, but he certainly was when I found him! I could barely get the knotted rope off his neck. Buddy is the funniest little dog - I learned a lot about hounds by fostering him! Arthur is a gorgeous dane-mix we found on a busy highway. He could barely fit through our dog door when we fostered him!	I love cats, too! I found Bagheera on a business trip and brought him home. Bagheera has feline HIV, so it was hard finding a home for him. But I did! We used to feed a colony of feral cats, and one day two tame kittens had been dumped in with the ferals. Simon is the sweetest thing who sleeps flat on his back! We found great homes for Simon and his litter-mate.
This is Honey's litter-mate, Babe. Babe lives with my Mom and Dad where she is not at all spoiled. (Babe won't eat her dinner unless it is garnished.)	One of my happiest days, swimming with the dolphins at Sea World. I don't support taking dolphins from the wild, but I think that dolphins born in captivity are similar to dogs who live their whole lives in homes and fenced yards. Sea World dolphins certainly seem to enjoy the daily interaction and loving attention they get from their trainers!	My friend Desi rescued Justice. Justice had been fought and abused by his owners. When they got tired of them, they dropped him down a well to drown. When Justice didn't die, one of the owners tried to push him under. The owner fell in and started drowning. The other guy jumped in to save his friend, and they BOTH drowned. I kind of love this story of cosmic Justice. Sorry, but I do!
We found Gracie running down a busy street. Fostering a golden was a big change from our usual chows, pit bulls, and rottweilers! My friend and I rescued these adorable pups one Christmas and found homes for them in a flash. Aren't they the cutest things?	Teddy lived the first year of his life on a short chain by a snake-infested pond. He was adopted by an adoring family who treated him like a king.	Della was chained and forgotten in the corner of someone's backyard. We reported the situation to animal services, and the owner relinquished the dog to them. We emailed photos of Della at the shelter and her euthanasia date. We received an outpouring of calls/emails, and Della went from the shelter straight to her new home. Look at her now!
My best friend Susan rescues basset hounds. This is John and me with Jolie, the sweetest, droopiest-eyed basset you ever met!	Honey helps me model a new pleather jacket. Look at her posing - she loves to have her picture taken. Seriously!	John and Jack - are they cute, or what?
This is my gorgeous cat Addy. People always say she's the prettiest cat they've ever seen. Addy has this made-for-cats video of squirrels and birds and watches it with total concentration. It is so funny! Hard to believe she would have been euthanized had we not rescued her from the shelter when she was a kitten.	A friend recently said of Tiger Lily, "That's a healthy cat!" Lily was starving when we found her in a tree, and she still gets very nervous if he food bowl gets too low. Lily has personality-plus, that's for sure! She has the loudest purr you've ever heard.	This is Misa and Addy curled up together on a cold day. I have had Misa the longest - since I was just out of college. Misa is a hard-working cat - constantly guarding the front door and peeking out the window to keep an eye on the neighborhood. I adopted Misa from the humane society. I love her so much.

Honey doesn't seem to be feeling particularly guilty about destroying my slipper.	Enjoying a fall day on the promenade.	Thanks for visiting my site. Now go help a chained dog - Bye!

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