FIDO SPEAKS!

A Fido Christmas Wish

Dear Santa Claus,

I have been a loyal companion to my master for 10 years. He raised me as a pup and

took me everywhere with him. When he retired a few years ago, we spent every day

together walking in the park, riding in his car to do errands, and I was his foot

warmer in bed every night. He recently passed away and I have been left broken

hearted. Nobody in the family wants a dog, so now I am left at his sister’s house tied

up outside. I do have a dog house and they do give me a bowl of food and water

daily, but no one comes to visit me or pets me or lets me spend time with them.

So Dear Mr. Claus: please give me one gift this Christmas…. I need to find another

master who will let me love him and who I can love back. I don’t ask for much; I am a

senior dog and very low maintenance. Please don’t let me live out in the cold all

alone one more day.

PLEASE CONSIDER A DONATION TO FIDO FOR THE HOLIDAYS SO WE CAN

HELP DOGS LIKE THE ONE IN THE STORY WHO WE ARE CALLED ON TO

TAKE IN EACH AND EVERY WEEK OF THE YEAR. THE STORIES GO ON AND

ON BUT EACH ONE IS FAMILIAR….NO ONE WANTS THESE DOGS ANYMORE.

BUT, WITH YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT, FIDO CAN KEEP HELPING THESE

UNWANTED AND UNLOVED CREATURES FIND TRUE HAPPINESS AND QUAL-

ITY OF LIFE AGAIN!

FIDO’s Companion Inc. is a small,

closely held non-profit 501(c)3

organization made up of volunteers

who perform vital functions in the

process of rescuing animals. We

operate out of Avon, Ohio. We

primarily rescue dogs from the

Lorain County Dog Pound before

they are put to sleep.

www.fidoscompanion.com

November 2010

Fido Speaks!

It costs approximately $320 to rescue and vet one

dog from the pound

There are about 180 families who read this news-

letter. If everyone could donate just $25.00, that

would cover the cost of saving 15 homeless dogs

that might not otherwise have a second chance!

Just think what your donation can do….

$10.00 can board a dog for a day

$25.00 can provide a lifesaving

Vaccination

$120.00 can spay and neuter one dog

Or any amount can help dogs in need!

Fido’s Far Away Families

Page 2 Fido Speaks!

“Michelle, can you get her for

us?” She didn’t hesitate and made some

phone calls and saved her from being

put down by two days because of kennel

cough. They transported her to Michelle

and had her vetted. We made arrange-

ments for a transport and next thing we

knew, she was on her way to us.

She is certainly a special girl. She does

have issues as she had just had a litter of

puppies and we don’t think she ever got

to take care of them. She now has her

“babies” that no one can have but her.

She also has food issues but it has gotten

better, too. She is so loving and full of

kisses. Mandy gave us all her kisses the

day we brought her home. You have to

be very lucky today to get a kiss from

her. She and Lucy are best buds and

play very well together.

We consider ourselves very lucky to

have both of them. My elderly parents

live with us and they love them too! It

brings a smile to my mom every morn-

ing when she gets up as they say good

morning to her. Thank you, Michelle and

all your volunteers for all you do. With-

out you we wouldn’t have these beautiful

girls to love each and every day!

WHAT PEOPLE WILL DO TO GET THE

DOG THEY WANT IS AMAZING...2

LITTLE GIRLS MOVED OUT OF STATE

TO FIND FOREVER HOMES!

When Michelle asked us to write

about our “girls”, Mandy & Lucy,

we didn’t hesitate. It’s always a

pleasure talking about them. We

don’t know what we would do

without them. We’ve always had a

dog or dogs in our home and when

we lost our Ginger, it didn’t take

us long to figure out that we

needed a new girl.

We didn’t know about Pet-

finder.com until someone sug-

gested the website to us. We

searched quite a while before Ste-

ven found Pansy, now Mandy on

the website. We filled out the ap-

plication and were told we lived

out of state and that it would be

difficult to approve us being so far

from Ohio. Well, we couldn’t ac-

cept that and begged Michelle to

find a way for us, and she did. The

home inspection was done by a

local rescue group and we passed

immediately so off we went to

Ohio to pick our girl up. She was a

wild child at first but adapted

quickly.

She was just perfect for us and

loved traveling in the car wher-

ever we went. That was July 2006.

She has spoiled us to death and we

miss her when we have to go away

for the day or longer.

Less than a year later my husband

decided to retire and we moved to

Delaware. The first job was to put

up a new fence for Mandy. She

loved her new home and all the

walks we would take every day.

Then I started sneaking peeks at

Petfinder,com again and there she

was. Her name was Jenny. Almost

identical in looks to Mandy and in

Ohio. We couldn’t believe it! We

called the pound who had her and

got nowhere with them. We were

out of state and that was it.

Mandy and Lucy

FIDO FUN DAYS!

Summer brings many adoption

events for our rescue to attend.

From our annual visit to Woofstock

at the Grateful Dog Bakery, to Bark

for Life to benefit the American

Cancer Society, to the Oberlin Dog-

gie Doo, to Meet Your Best Friend

at the Zoo….our FIDO dogs get lots

of exposure to the public.

FIDO volunteers Toni Heilman and Julia McKee with Courage and Bella at

Woofstock

By Judy & Steven Nusbaum

Volunteers Charley Stalker, Donna Reichlin, Mark Seijak with Courage and Cherry at the ZOO.

supervise playtime outside as

Saadi is very gentle and Lila

can be rough at times. How-

ever, they usually just run after

each other (Saadi chasing Lila

who has one of my work

gloves in her mouth). I love

my “pack” and my husband,

believe it or not, really enjoys

having all 4 of them too, much

to my amazement, especially

since we sort of said we’d

never have more than 2 dogs.

Yes, it’s more work, but it’s

well worth it. My only regret

is that I failed as a foster this

time around. Hopefully,

sometime down the road, I will

be able to foster a dog with

another rescue group; one like

yours who I can be 100% sure

is going to the perfect home so

I won’t have to worry about

her once she leaves my home!

There are some FIDO families

who end up going the extra

mile to help homeless dogs…

the Knapps who are Boxer fa-

natics adopted our FIDO

Boxer SAADI (back of photo)

to be a sister for their Boxer

Maggie, but ended up work-

ing with the Animal Welfare

League who were called on to

seize dogs off a horrible prop-

erty in Kinsman Twp. In Trum-

bull County. Hundreds of ani-

mals needed help and Joy

Knapp worked at the ware-

house where the dogs were

kept, vetted and found forever

homes or rescues to take them

over. The Knapps decided to

adopt a little black lab from

there, named Riley, so she

would have a good home and

then decided to foster one of

the bully mixes there who had

not yet found a place to go.

Now Lila is a permanent part

of the Knapp clan after they

failed at fostering. :)

Here is an update from Joy

Knapp….

I did enjoy helping out this year

with the dogs that were rescued

from Kinsman and of course,

never intended to end up with a

total of 4 dogs by the time it was

all said and done. At any rate,

everyone gets along splendidly.

Lila and Riley are little “love

bugs”. They are full of love and

kisses just like Saadi and

Maggie. Maggie is still the al-

pha dog, then Riley, Lila and last

but not least, our sweet little

Saadi (who is “daddies little

princess”). Saadi and Lila love

romping around together and

Riley sometimes joins in. I still

Fido Families– the Knapp Clan…..Update from Joy Knapp

Page 3 Fido Speaks!

impending fate.

So, as I think about FIDO and what

we have created, once again I am

reminded of some wise words my

dad used to tell me as a little girl:

If you can wake up every day

and enjoy what you do, that is

the most important thing;

Nothing in life is easy; only the

strong survive:

Time goes by fast, so live life

how you want to now and do

what you love

Even though I have a full time job

which I do like thank goodness, I

have this rescue work I can call my

passion and this wonderful team of

people who are as passionate as I

am. Check off the 1st line item as

listening to my dad’s advice.

Boy my dad was not kidding about

life not being easy and you have to

be strong. The weak of spirit and

stomach could not bear the world of

rescue and all the emotions that go

along with it. I guess Team FIDO can

check off the 2nd tip of advice my

dad gave.

Going on 8 years of rescuing, I know

I am living life how I want to and

love saving all of the dogs we can.

Even more I love finding them a

home they can live a life filled with

love in too! As our volunteers can

attest to, there is no better feeling

than giving a once unwanted dog a

home where they can be spoiled

rotten in! Check #3 Dad...see I

really did listen to you!

The Fido Focus…. The Meaning of Fido! By Michelle Reichlin

Page 4 Fido Speaks!

As another year closes and the dawn

of a 2011 is upon the horizon, I take a

breath once again and do some re-

flection. I think about our rescue

work and the name I so casually

phrased us “FIDO’s Companion”.

Maybe the name means more than I

meant for it to, or thought it could

ever mean when this rescue

started…..

The F in FIDO always reminds me

what Fierce advocates our volun-

teers are for homeless dogs. Once

our volunteers get to know and love

one of our dogs….look out! These

dogs become their kids. Whatever

they need, our volunteers are there

for them… extra walks, training, a

bath, a toe nail trim, a vet visit be-

cause they have a limp, have a

runny nose or their doo doo looks

funny…. I am NOT kidding. This

team is on top if it!

The I in FIDO reminds me of all the

Individuals who we have worked

with and come to know through the

years who are true dog lovers. Past

adopters, vets, boarding kennel

workers, donors, trainers… these

individuals through their time, pas-

sion and financial support help us

save lives. Dog lovers are just the

best people in the world. The look

in the eyes of a true dog lover when

they see a dog do a trick or nudge

them to be petted brings out the soft

and gentleness in every person.

Even the most grizzly of a man has

become weak in the knees when

one of our dogs licks his face.

The D in FIDO is the Dedication or

as one of our board members has

tattooed across her wrist, the Devo-

tion of being a rescuer. The FIDO

team is truly dedicated and devoted

to each and every dog that comes

into our care. The focus is on each

and every dog; one at a time; giving

each the resources necessary

(whether monetary for vet care or

training or just time spent nurturing)

to become a well balanced, healthy

dog. That is why I know remaining a

small rescue that focuses its mission

on the quality of care over the quan-

tity of animals saved is where we

need to be now and in the future.

The O….lets talk about the Opti-

mism you must have to be a rescuer.

When we pull a dog from a pound or

take a dog lying on the side of the

road wounded, or seize a dog with a

chain imbedded in its neck, we

never know where time will lead us.

We take a chance on each and every

dog we take under our wing, but we

remain optimistic of a life rehabili-

tated. This optimism is shaken

sometimes when we encounter a

dog who shows aggression or has

immense fear; but we plug along

knowing that we can only do our

best and unfortunately will never be

able to save them all from the horri-

ble lives they once had or their

“A dog is the only thing

on earth that loves you

more than he loves him-

self”

Josh Billings

Hi Michelle and Friends,

I’m not sure if you remember me, but I think about you guys all the time. My name was Odie (a Plott Hound mix),

but then you and your husband drove me all the way out to the country and everything changed! My name now is

Elliot, but everyone calls me Elle. I’m a very big (90 pounds) sweet boy. I’m still not very comfortable with strang-

ers, but I love my family very much. My grandma loves to come over so I can give her hugs. She has to stand

against the wall so she doesn’t fall over. I’m almost bigger than her! I’m a big Mama’s Boy too. I’m always by her

side. Even when she’s in the shower, I sit by the shower door and wait for her. Dad says when he’s working late, he

knows mom is safe because I’m with her!

Today is 5 years ago that you drove me out here and I rescued my family. That day changed everything for my

mom! Mom started making homemade treats for me. They are VERY yummy, and last year she started to sell them

(I’m not very happy about her selling MY treats). But, she gets to stay home with me more. I’m the CEO (Canine

Executive Officer). I have to approve everything. We even have a website, thepawprintkitchen.com. And the very

handsome big guy on there is me! Mom has never been happier, and our little company is really growing. We

were just at the lake County Captains Bark in the Park game to sell our treats. And, my picture was on the score-

board– how cool is that! We have also been working with Q104 and Clear Channel Radio. I’m the face (and Paw

Print) of the Paw Print Kitchen.

Because I mean so much to mom, she wanted to give back, for what you guys did for us. She started volunteering at

a local rescue group called Rose’s Rescue. She processes the applications that come in for the dogs and goes to

events to walk and play with the dogs to help them get adopted. All because you guys took the time to save me… so

THANK YOU a hundred times over and over again!!!! She now helps other dogs find forever homes– just like what

you did for me!!!

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you my big news….I have a sister now too! She’s just like me, but smaller (she’s a mini me,

she’s only 30 pounds!). Her name is Emma (she’s the little dog on our website). Mom had some applications on her

desk one day and two were for the little Pit Bull Puppy that the breeder threw away because she was so small. Good

thing the dog warden found her and called Rose at the Rescue. Rose took her, but once mom saw her picture and

showed it to me… well we had to bring her home. I needed a puppy! Turns out the applicants didn’t want her once

they found out she was a Pit bull. Dad saw her picture and told mom to bring her home! She was only a few weeks

old. I was scared of her at first, she was so little and I’m so big!! But, I had to teach her everything! She follows me

everywhere and does everything I do. Sometimes it’s annoying, but she’s my little sister and I’m VERY protective of

her. We love playing together, and she sleeps in bed with me, mom and dad.

Thank you again for rescuing my family. We owe you more than we could ever repay you! Pleas know that ALL

your hard work has made my family what it is!! If you wouldn’t have saved me, my mom wouldn’t have our Dog

Treat company, we wouldn’t have Emma and all the dogs mom has helped to find forever homes for. You’ve

changed so many lives.

Fido’s Forever Families By Elliott Lee Cites & the Cites Family (Heather, Bryan & Emma)

Page 5 Fido Speaks!

Visit the pawprint-kitchen.com to purchase your home made dog treats

Fido’s Forever Families By The Huntington Family

Page 6 Fido Speaks!

got her when Rigley was young, be-

fore we were born. We had Rigley

when we were all little. Then an-

other homeless puppy, named Jake,

needed us so we were happy to let

him into our family. Then Rigley’s

turn to die came and we got a really

cute dog named Nula. It took a cou-

ple of years till we got Nula because

Rigley was missed too much to get a

new dog. We were searching for

On May 22nd, our family welcomed

a Fido’s companion dog into our

house– Nula! We fell in love with

Nula’s picture on Petfinder in Janu-

ary, but at that point, we were not

quite ready to take care of another

dog in the house. When we decided

in May to start looking again for a

second dog, there was Nula, still on

the website looking as cute as she

did in January. At that point, we

knew it was fate that she was meant

to be ours! Luckily Fido’s compan-

ion thought so too, and so Nula

quickly became a wonderful part of

our family. We are so thankful to

Fido’s Companion for seeing Nula’s

cute face at the pound and rescuing

her so that she could find her home

with us.

This summer our kids collected do-

nations for Fido’s Companion, and

Michelle asked them to write some-

thing for the newsletter. Here is

what they had to say (in their own

words…..)

What we do: Every year, we throw

a pool party in honor of Will, Connor

and Megan’s birthdays. Instead of

receiving presents, we ask for dona-

tions to organizations selected by

the whole family. This year we se-

lected Fido’s Companion.

Why We do it: We do it to make the

world a better place and help others

who need help. The reason we

chose Fido’s Companion this year is

because we got our second dog,

Nula, from Fido’s companion and we

wanted to give something back to

them.

What we collect: This year we col-

lected bags of dog food, dog treats,

blankets and leashes for all of the

dogs at Fido’s Companion. We col-

lected around 15 blankets and 3 or 4

bags of dog food, and about 15 bags

of treats as well. We also had a

large variety of toys, rawhides,

leashes and collars. We hope that

everything we collect helps the

dogs in some way.

Why we like Nula: We love her

because she is a very sweet dog.

She has fit in very well and adjusted

to life in our house very quickly.

She and Jake get along great; they

love to wrestle inside and outside.

They are very happy to have each

other. Nula has been a perfect addi-

tion to our family and we lover her

very much.

How we got Nula: It started with our

old dog Rigley; my mom and dad

Connor, Will and Megan

the perfect puppy. We found some

other really cute dogs too, but they

didn’t seem right for us. When we

first went to meet her, we got a little

nervous that Jake would not like her.

(He does not like some other dogs).

But, she loved us so we decided to

bring in Jake to meet her. Right

away, Jake and Nula liked each

other. The week Fido’s Companion

brought her here we got nervous

again because we were thinking–

will she like her new home? It was a

good thing she did, so now she is a

really sweet, loving, funny and

sometimes crazy puppy! Even

though she gets a little too crazy

sometimes, we will always love her.

Yes, always. She also is trained very

well! So, thank you Fido’s Compan-

ion!

This is Jake

This is Nula

Enjoy some photos of our past

FIDO dogs as they enjoy life in

their Forever or Foster Homes!

to find a forever home. We would

love to find her a home for the holi-

days. Please consider giving her the

second chance that she so deserves!

She is required to be adopted by a

homeowner with a fenced yard.

Bella has been waiting patiently for

her forever home! Bella is a very

sweet, loyal and loving female dog;

approximately 5 years old and 45

pounds. She does well with children

and other dogs. There are cats and

a rabbit in her foster home and she

is adjusting to them just fine. Bella

would do best in a house with at

least 1 other dog, as she very much

likes their company. Bella is house-

broken and crate trained. She is

extremely obedient and knows ba-

sic commands and follows her foster

mom wherever she goes. Bella has

been spayed and is up to date on all

shots and vaccines. She must be

adopted by a homeowner with a

fenced yard due to the breed. Her

foster mom says that she is abso-

lutely a gem of a dog. She loves to

snuggle up with her human foster

parents and cuddle and loves being

with the kids in the household even

more. She’s extremely social, loves

car rides, and is very obedient. If

you are interested in adopting Bella,

go to www.fidoscompanion.com and

fill out an application. Adoption fee

is $125.00.

Bella has been waiting way too long

Page 7 Fido Speaks!

Trinity (now Gael Byron) getting treats from her mom while her pack of broth-ers and sisters wait patiently for their

turn!

Sandy & Mulligan Fiala (both former FIDO dogs)… enjoying pool playtime on

a sunny day.

Fido Featured Adoptable– Bella American Staffordshire Terrier/ Boxer Mix

Sully (former FIDO dog) and his “not so little” little brother Enyo Ritz-mann pose for the camera at the

Balou with his new

mom, Marcia Cibula– a

FIDO failed foster par-

ent!

Leyla is a real snuggle bunny!

!

We need:

foster homes for dogs and cats (short

and long term);

transporters to help pull dogs from

local pounds or take them to the vets or

boarding facilities;

donations to cover boarding and health

care costs;

volunteers to walk the dogs that are

currently being housed in our boarding

facilities;

volunteers to plan and assist with fund

raisers

THE ONE IN THE STORY WHO

WE ARE CALLED ON TO TAKE IN

EACH AND EVERY WEEK OF THE

YEAR. WITH YOUR CONTINUED

SUPPORT, FIDO CAN KEEP

HELPING THESE UNWANTED

AND UNLOVED CREATURES

FIND TURE HAPPINESS AND

QUALIFY OF LIFE. AGAIN!

Dear Santa Claus,

I have been good all year long since

my mom and dad adopted me from

the shelter last Christmas. I am

housebroken, crate trained, don’t

pull on walks, play nice with the

neighborhood dogs, don’t chase the

kitty and love my mom and dad very

much. I know my mom and dad

loved me once too, but now my mom

and dad are setting up a nursery and

I am not getting walked as much

anymore. They just put me out in

the backyard and tell me to go

potty. They used to get on the floor

with me and play tug with my toys

but now they just come home, eat

dinner and watch TV. I heard my

dad talking the other day about hav-

ing no time for me and that things

will only get worse when the baby

comes. He said they need to take

me back to the shelter.

So, Santa Claus, please give me one

gift this Christmas….I need to find

another family at the shelter to love

me and be dedicated to me forever;

not just for the time when it is con-

venient.

PLEASE CONSIDER A DONATION

TO FIDO THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

SO WE CAN HELP DOGS LIKE

Another Fido Christmas Wish…...

I want to help provide new beginnings for homeless

dogs.

Enclosed is my contribution in the amount of:

$____________________________

Name___________________________________________

Address_________________________________________

City_____________ State______ Zip code_________

Please mail your check to:

Fido’s Companion Rescue, Inc.

P.O. Box 518

Avon, Ohio 44011

For Credit Card Donations:

Go to WWW.FIDOSCOMPANION.COM and click on

the donation button. You can make a secure PAYPAL

donation on-line with your credit card.

A 501 (c)3 Non profit Animal Rescue– Donations are tax de-

ductible

How Can I Help?

Providing quality of life to one canine

companion at a time!