Project Puppy Awards 2021

Vote for Your Project Puppy Award Winners!

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* 1. Who should be recognized as Veterinary Office of the Year 2021 presented by Mirowski Home Inspections LLC?

FAIR GROVE VETERINARY - Dr Sherman and the whole Fair Grove Veterinary staff have gone above and beyond time and again for all of our fur babies. Dr. Sherman in particular has amazed me with his bedside manner, his patience with our (very) reactive dog, and his willingness to try new treatments. He truly listens to our concerns and never seems rushed even when our appointment runs over the allotted time. He takes his time to really get to know your pet and you, and always has a bright shining smile on his face. Everyone we have recommended to him has loved their experience and animals of all shapes and sizes benefit from his care.

GRANT AVENUE PET HOSPITAL- I have been a client of Grant Avenue for nearly 15 years and would not take my babies anywhere else. They are never to busy to take a call, answer questions and always make sure I never feel rushed. My angel boxer Belle had some skin issues and encouraged me to be part of a clinical trial when she was young. It was through this trial we found out that she likely would develop Kushings later in life. This gift of knowing how to prepare for a terrible disease allowed me to deal with it when she finally lost her life. Dr Rouse was incredibly supportive and realistic in her path of treatment. When I felt like we did all we could do, Dr Rouse was the one to tell me that I had done more than most would and that it was ok to let go. Hearing this was the kindest thing anyone could have done for me and allowed me to make a decision and have no regrets. After she passed, Dr Rouse called to check up on me and made me feel like I was family. This is one of the many reasons that I recommend Grant Avenue to anyone that will listen- kindness, compassion, really caring about patients and the highest level of vet care possible!

ROUTE 66 VET CLINIC - They are the best. I am on social security and have very limited income. I've always struggled to get my dog the care hes needed. I found Route 66 last year when my dog, Musket, started having medical problems, it was finally found to be diabetes. I've never had a vet ask me how much money do I have to work with. It didn't matter if I only had 15 dollars, she would work with it. I would like to commend her for that. Most vets tell you how much it will cost and if you don't have it they won't treat your dog. Route 66 is exceptional!

THE TRAVELING VET - Dr. Melissa Robinson with The Traveling Vet is top notch. Her services are invaluable and her compassion sets her above the rest. She really works to understand each patients situation and treats them each as her own pet. Having in home vet services has been so great for our large pack, who don’t like to all load up and head to a traditional office. Dr. Robinson has a passion to help animals and provide the best care with an amazing attention to detail. Her tech Jamie is amazing as well!

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* 2. Who should be recognized as Business/Organization of the Year 2021 presented by TAME Pet Magazine?

4 THE LOVE OF K9s - It is my honor as a volunteer with 4 The Love of K9’s to nominate this organization for Business of the Year. I have volunteered with this organization for over 10 years. In all my years as a volunteer, I have never seen a rescue step up to the plate the way 4 the Love of K9’s has this year. There are so many examples that could be talked about, but one of the biggest has been the dramatic effort put forth to assist with the Branson Chihuahua Dump, where close to 60 chihuahuas were rescued and placed with local foster groups. 4 the Love of K9’s took in 20 of these dumped chihuahuas. Three of these 20 had Parvo and were treated and released, three more were pregnant and had a total of seven SURVIVING puppies, and one who had a broken leg from being hit by a car. There was no thought needed by the Director, Sherry Brandell-Lee. As always, her motto ("Let’s get these dogs safe, and the rest will be dealt with later.") was at the forefront of the minds of every 4 the Love of K9's volunteer. The volunteers within the rescue pulled together. Many traveled to the Branson area and volunteered their time and resources to take care of Taney County Animal Control during this time. Supply lists were gathered and a word of mouth message put out to the community -- both near and far -- helping to spread the news of the rescue efforts and the items and care needed for each of these neglected creatures. Truck loads of supplies were donated. Volunteers gave numerous hours assisting in the Chihuahua Room: organizing supplies, transporting dogs to local vets, cleaning cages, removing ticks, bathing the dogs and showering each dog with love. 4 the Love of K9’s has stepped up to the plate so many times this year. Another example: A mama dog and her 6 puppies that were dumped in Rogersville. The puppies became Parvo positive and spent many days at the local Emergency Vet Clinic before they could be sent to the local vet for isolation to continue their Parvo treatment. These are just two examples of many where this rescue has gone above and beyond, continuing to fight for the animals on a daily basis. Although a small rescue, 4 the Love of K9’s has a MIGHTY mission: Partner with local animal control agencies to provide vet care for discarded/unwanted dogs and place them in safe, loving forever-homes regardless of medical needs, age or breed.

BARKER SHOPPE - As a business owner for 14 years, I think about what it takes to run a successful and strong business. I deal with owners everyday and one such person exemplifies this award - Maggie Floyd with The Barker Shoppe. I've known her for over 30 years now, and it doesn't matter if it's 3:00 a.m. or 3:00 p.m. when I call her, she always answers and is willing. She puts her business and rescuing as a top priority. Dogs are her life. She is always looking ahead and projecting what needs to be done. She is willing to get her hands dirty if need be. She single handedly has brought the idea of the Barker Shoppe to life since since 2015. Her clients and staff know her heart and loyalty. I would say she has changed the animal welfare community by just being a part of it. For example, providing a safe space for dogs when a demand is needed. Partnering with Rescue One and being on its board. Giving them a space for the dogs and as a donation drop off. Being on call for rescuing dogs all over Greene County and the surrounding counties. When the groomers of Springfield needed a space for our citywide bath and save project, Maggie donated her time, her space, and money. If anyone deserves to win this award, it would be Maggie Floyd who is a hero for our rescue community and so much more.

JUSTICE JEWELERS - Amelia Justice is a huge advocate and volunteer in the community and her passion is animals. Her little rescue, Pippin, rules Justice Jewelers. Pippin was found by Amelia on the side of the highway and immediately became part of the family. Amelia also is heavily involved with Rescue One and Watching over Whiskers(WOW).

SIDE KICK DOG TRAINING - I would like to nominate Side Kick Dog Training for the Business of the year. Side Kick has the best employees and is indispensable as a rescue training facility. They are problem solvers in all area of the services they provide. Side Kick Dog Training goes above and beyond to help their clients and their dogs. Side Kick Dog Training will never give up on your dog, they are problem solvers who's outside of the box thinking will always deliver results for their clients.

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* 3. Who should be recognized as Volunteer of the Year 2021 presented by FETCH Pet Supplies & Gifts?

ASHLEY FRIEND - It is my extreme honor and privilege to nominate Ashley Friend for the award of Volunteer of the Year. I have known Ashley for 3 years and have had the privilege of utilizing her marketing expertise so much over the past several months. I have never seen anyone give so selflessly of her time and resources to help animals in need and promote the rescue as a whole with outstanding events and fundraisers. Ashley works hard to promote the rescue through events such as Yappy Hour at Bark Yard, Ride the Woof, nail trimming events and so much more. Ashley’s marketing expertise has helped move 4 the Love of K9’s forward in taking on additional rescues, such as happened with the Branson Chihuahua dump. Her expertise raised money and secured truckloads of donations for Taney County Animal Control. Where there is a need for help, Ashley finds a way to pull the troops together to get it done. Her fundraising events just since March 2021 have brought in over $12,000. With this influx of revenue 4 the Love of K9’s has tackled some heavy medical, boarding and advance care expenses for many of our rescues. I realize that $12K might not seem like a lot to some, but for our small rescue it means the lives of more dogs can be saved, whether stricken with Parvo, cancer, or any other illness. Ashley conducts many “live” events via Facebook, showcasing adoptable or hard to adopt dogs. She takes hard to adopt out dogs on play dates with her own personal dogs to help socialize them. During the Branson Chihuahua roundup, I worked closely with Ashley, informing her of the needs in Taney County AC and by the end of the day she had obtained all the items needed or was in contact with others who wanted to send items directly to TC. Ashley hits the ground running everyday with purpose and dedication. I cannot think of a more worthy person to nominate than Ashley Friend.

BRITTANY & PAUL VENEZIANO - On behalf of Boxer/Schnauzer Rescue of the Ozarks and dogs everywhere, I’d like to nominate Brittany and Paul Veneziano for Volunteer(s) of the Year. They have been fostering for BSRO for several years and honestly, we would be lost without them. They do everything: fostering, home visits, recruiting volunteers, fundraising, and helping with vet services. They have selflessly given so much of their time and resources to helping animals in need. As most of the area shut down due to Covid last year, they led the charge to start virtual home visits to help keep everyone safe. They’ve recruited additional homes to foster and fundraised to help with vet bills. Brittany is a vet tech and helps see to the medical needs of the dogs. In just the summer of 2021, they’ve fostered a senior boxer with pneumonia (who sadly crossed the bridge), a boxer with an eye injury, a deaf boxer puppy, and a wild crazy young boxer puppy whose antics we all enjoyed watching (from afar). They don’t just stop once the dogs are adopted into loving homes. They often welcome back previous fosters for dog-sitting while the adopted family is on vacation. They help adoptive families find appropriate dog training and ease the dog’s transition into their forever homes. Their positive attitudes and love for dogs has made an impact on so many lives- human and canine. We all need more people like Brittany and Paul in our lives.

LYNNE COX - I am nominating Lynne Cox with Furry Hearts for volunteer of the year. Lynne Cox is known not only for her creative and witty descriptions of the dogs she rescues, but for the countless hours she spends networking and coordinating transportation for the Stockton pound strays, and strays or abused dogs referred to her in surrounding areas. Lynne does not stop there! She has offered support to many other rescues such as Rescue One, Havaheart, 4 the Love of K-9s and Route 66 rescue. Her motto is “No dog left behind” and she is relentless and won’t stop until every dog is safe. She was able to single handedly find rescues for 26 hard to place dogs when Route 66 Shelter closed coordinating transportation for these dogs to 5 different states. Once she finds a rescue, she spends countless hours coordinating transportation all over the country from Saint Louis, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado Illinois, Minnesota and at times all the way to Washington State. When hurricane Katrina hit, she coordinated with local rescues to provide transportation from Texas to their rescue in Minnesota for 52 dogs organizing a sleep over for all the dogs and volunteers in Stockton for 2 separate transports. Her time and efforts have helped to save the lives of many dogs who otherwise would either be euthanized or live a life in misery or suffering. Lynne gives true meaning to the following quote:” Saving one pet won’t change the world, but for that one pet the world will change forever.”

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* 4. Which should be recognized as the Rescue Story of the Year 2021 presented by KOZL ?

GRACE KELLY - Grace Kelly should be the Rescue Story of the Year because she has touched so many people with her sweet disposition. We were tagged by Furry Hearts Rescue about a very pregnant foxhound that was getting ready to be dumped in the woods. We pulled her and put her in temporary foster, which became long term foster, because Grace Kelly decided to go into labor 3 days later. She was malnourished and so frightened when we got her. She gave birth to eleven healthy, sassy coonhound puppies that would be a challenge for any dog. Luckily, we got a call from an owner of a husky named Elsa that was going through a false pregnancy and seemed very sad. We decided to try and see if Elsa would accept some of the puppies. She was so excited to have puppies of her own and became the surrogate mom to 4 of Grace’s puppies. She helped raise them for 6 weeks. Since Grace Kelly is such a gentle loving dog, we decided we would keep her as our mascot at SOHHS and take her to events. Her first event was at the Hollister High School library. She was a huge hit, everyone loved her. The librarian, Mary Pierce, asked if she could adopt her and use her as a therapy dog at the library to help the kids. So now Grace gets the best of both worlds. A loving home of her own and a job where she gets to be loved by students. Her eleven puppies have all been fixed and adopted and are all very loved. We get uodates on them regularly

HICKORY - On a rainy day in October Hickory’s owner came home with her newborn baby. As she entered the door, Hickory accidently bolted out the front door. They searched relentlessly for over two months postponing a move to Texas for a month to a new job in hopes of finding Hickory before they had to move. Fast forward 6 months. Annie Burk a vet tech was driving down Hwy 125 when she saw a dog in horrid condition walking on 3 legs next to Sparta Elementary. Assuming the dog had been hit by a car she discovered this extremely matted, flea/tic infested dog who reeked with infection had a collar embedded in its neck with its foot caught in the collar. Needing assistance, she called Kimbra Kern and Becky Curtis who assist with the stray dogs in Sparta. Upon arriving on the scene, we could see Hickory was in severe pain and as scared as he was, he allowed Becky to cut the collar off his neck with a knife. We decided to take Hickory to the emergency vet due to the collar being embedded. While Annie took Hickory to the vet, Kimbra began posting and networking to find Hickory’s owner. After the collar was removed Annie sent us a picture of the collar. Becky recognized the collar from the postings done by the owner in October. It was a miracle that Becky was able to put two and two together There was a phone number on the collar, so Kimbra was able to contact the owner that night. Through the tears of joy and heartfelt relief, Hickory’s owner, Alicia was almost in a state of disbelief that her dearly beloved dog was found and had survived 6 months living on his own. The family was now living in Texas but that was no obstacle for them. They got in the car that night and by the next day after the surgery was completed and released by the vet Hickory was home with the family in Texas. It was quite the emotional reunion for Hickory and his family and teaches us to never give up hope and that miracles do happen!

THE CHIHUAHUA DUMP IN BRANSON - On Monday, June 7, 2021, the staff of Taney County Animal Control was met with phones ringing off the hook and urgent messages about numerous Chihuahuas having been spotted and picked up in the area. It soon became clear that a mass dumping had occurred in Taney, Stone and Boone counties. Taney AC immediately got to work locating these abandoned dogs and reaching out to local rescue organizations. One rescue, 4 the Love of K9’s, responded right away, ready to assist. Soon, there was a network of volunteers preparing to care for the dogs. There was so much to do, such as assigning crates and kennel cards, as well as, tagging and photographing each dog. Fortunately, the community acted, volunteering to help, sending donations, and providing much needed supplies. On Wednesday, June 9th, the animal control offices were once again flooded with calls. There were more reports of sightings, captures and dogs running loose. It appeared there had been another dumping of chihuahuas. Staff began setting additional traps to save the dogs from this second wave. A final number of chihuahuas dumped may never be known. In addition to the ones collected by Animal Control, some were taken in by the people that found them. Others may still be out there hiding. The ones taken in by animal control were tagged to send to available rescue facilities. Nearly 60 Chihuahuas were accounted for, ranging in age from approximately 2 – 8 years old, with a fairly equal number of males and females. The cooperation and coordination by so many made it possible to begin the process of helping and healing these dogs. However, there would not be time for a celebration. Some of the chihuahuas were starting to show signs of illness and were subsequently diagnosed with Parvo virus. It was decided to place all of the dogs in isolation for careful observation. Only authorized and equipped individuals were allowed to enter. Sadly, two of the dogs with confirmed parvo, passed away. Two others were receptive to treatment. One of those would be sent to 4 The Love of K9s. As the stray holds came to an end, transports were lined up and the dogs began moving to waiting rescues. Caregivers report that, while these pups have been through a lot in a short period of time, they are adjusting surprisingly well. For the Love of K9s was able to secure 16 foster homes for the pups they received. In the end only eight dogs were put up for adoption. The rest found forever homes with their foster families, becoming what the rescue laughingly calls, “Foster Failures.” Another surprise came when it was discovered that three females were pregnant. Two boys have already AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED: Taney County AC, Shepherd of the Hills AC, Tri-Lakes Humane Society, Cobblestone Vet, Emergency Rescue Consultancy, and, leading the efforts, 4 The Love of K9’s.