BEST PHOTOS EVER!

Today, Clifford from Clifford's Army Rescue Extravaganza took the first whack at the now-removed gas chamber from the animal shelter in Cleveland County, NC!

We cannot thank the Cleveland County Animal Control enough, particularly County Commissioner Susan Allen, for listening to the outcries from concerned people, including many City Dogs Rescue and C.A.R.E. supporters, about ending this horrific practice. We are seeing real changes across the country, particularly in counties in North Carolina, where many of these horrific contraptions are being destroyed. 

Thanks also to the amazing work of Take Action - Help Ban Animal Gas Chambers. for their ongoing advocacy on this issue. We also want to acknowledge the many CDR supporters who donated $3,000 in vaccinations to the Cleveland County Animal Shelter as a thank-you for making this happen. 

Further, we thank our own CDR volunteer Patricia Kennedy for drafting a wonderful presentation to the Cleveland County Commission about needed changes at the shelter and for her ongoing work in helping to get animals from CCAC to DC through City Dogs Rescue. 

We also want to give a special shout out and thank you to CCAC's rescue/adoption coordinator, Jennifer Coalson. Hiring Jennifer has been key to the success at CCAC. She is responsive and has pushed for new policies, such as longer hold times on animals and vaccinating puppies upon intake. 

And, more importantly, to all of the communities still using this practice, let this serve as an inspiration as to how this can be accomplished. No more excuses. The eyes of the world are watching...

We loved our fundraising event on Father's Day at Lou's City Bar in Columbia Heights!  So many of our adoptable dogs (and alumni!) came to hang out on the patio on this gorgeous day and get tons of pets and love from World Cup viewers. Photographer Catherine Shaw was there for awhile and snapped these great shots of our pups.  Thanks to all who came out and made this event a success!

In honor of Father's Day, AmazonSmile will donate an extra $5 to City Dogs Rescue for each customer who makes an eligible purchase on smile.amazon.com. 

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization (such as City Dogs Rescue!) every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. 

You use the same Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile, so it's as simple as bookmarking smile.amazon.com and using that to shop on Amazon!  

Want to sign up?  Click here to get started!

Dust off your tiaras and cummerbunds cause we're throwing a Prom, and you're invited! Join us on June 21st at Jade Fitness (new business) for CDR Prom: Raise the Woof! 

We throw a lot of great events for City Dogs Rescue but we're really excited for this one. Early bird tickets are $85 and they include an open bar with top shelf liquor, finger food, and all the music and dancing you could ask for with music by VJ Tre.   Early Bird Pricing Ends Sunday 6/15!

We'll also have a photo booth and a silent auction with some really great prizes like a signed RGIII helmet and a 5 night stay at the Hyatt Place San Jose Del Cabo Mexico!

Buy tickets here: http://bit.ly/CDRProm (you must be 21+)

More information here: https://www.facebook.com/events/842090955804917/

Thanks to the addition of part-time help. we are now going to have permanent office hours Tues, Wed, Thurs, Friday 4PM - 8PM and one weekend day (to be determined) at our offices at Quaker House, 2121 Decatur Place NW, Washington, DC (Dupont Circle). 

During office hours, fosters can pick up heartworm and flea medications, fosters and adopters can return or pick-up crates and "adopt me" vests/bandanas, and people can purchase CDR merchandise. 

You can email our Office Coordinator, Yolanda Adenike, at admin@citydogsrescuedc.org or call 202-241-2221 (answered only during office hours). 

Capital Pride is Saturday, June 7!

Walk with CDR! Bring your foster or alum! Show your pride with a CDR t-shirt!

We need 15 volunteers for the parade on Saturday, June 7th from 3:45pm - 7:30pm. We need 5 dog handlers, 4 other marchers for signs/banners, 2 people to sell special pride T-Shirts and about 4 other for support crew. Please reply if you can help or send an email to ndryfuse@gmail.com.

If you would like to drop off or walk with your foster dog, email cdradoptionevents@gmail.com. Line up will be at 3:45 PM at 21st and P Street NW.

Want a CDR Pride T-Shirt? You can buy them this week for $25 at CDR Offices at 2121 Decatur Place, NW, Washington, DC from 4 - 8 PM, Tues-Friday this week. They were specially designed for CDR by branddave!

Cleveland County Animal Control is blowing us away with their recent updates!  Here are some highlights:

1. The shelter is extending its hours!  They're now open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., giving the local community a better chance to come pick out a furry little companion!

2. A new low-cost spay and neuter program! Cleveland County is partnering with the Humane Society of Charlotte to offer low-cost spay and neuter services for both dogs and cats along with rabies shots and microchip installation!

3. Vaccination train keeps a-rollin'!  The Cleveland County Rescue/Adoption Coordinator is vaccinating all incoming puppies and kittens with a 5-n-1 and a dewormer. 

4. No more drop-off pens! Would you drop your child off in a parking lot or a dirt road? Of course not, so why would you do it for an animal? Pet owners who need to surrender their pets are required to visit the shelter to do so or they risk being charged with abandonment. 

5. And the big one: the gas chamber is gone! Cleveland County's gas chamber is no longer used a means of euthanasia, only injections. 

We're so grateful to the changes Cleveland County has made and we look forward to working with them in the future. 

Thank you, Ethan, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY from all of us here at City Dogs Rescue!

OregonLive.com offers a handy guide to teaching kids appropriate behavior around dogs to prevent dog bites. 

"Dogs are also more likely to attack if they feel their food or home territory is being threatened.

That's why it's so important that people – and especially children – should never approach a dog that is sleeping, eating, chewing on a bone. The same is true for dogs that are behind a fence, tethered in a yard or inside a car.

Approach a dog only if the owner is present, and never leave children alone with pets unattended.

Kids tend to be more at risk for being bitten because they typically approach animals fearlessly rather than cautiously, Dr. Katherine Miller, director of ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Behavior Research says, and their movements are more abrupt and less gentle than those of adults.

"It's important to first ask permission of the owner if it's OK to pet the dog, and then ask the dog for permission," Miller says.

Do that by putting your hand out with palms are facing upward; a palms-down position may indicate to the dog that you intend to strike.

If the dog seems open to being touched, don't pet the top of its head, which canines also interpret as aggressive.

Instead, reach for Fido's chest, the front flank where the legs meet the chest, or its shoulders.

Children are also smaller, "so they're right at eye level with dogs and often stare directly at them, which is a threatening gesture to a dog," Miller says.

If you have a dog with aggressive tendencies, train him to wear a basket muzzle(not a sleeve muzzle, which prevents panting and should be worn only briefly).

You may feel uncomfortable, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

Read the full article on Oregon Live here.