Big Luck Club

01/03/2025

Agreed. Embrace euthanasia. The irresponsibility runs amok, fueled by willful ignorance and apathy.

Shelters/rescues are overwhelmed, animals continue to be returned, abandoned, and are producing litters with little hope of a home. Forget the myth that all cute, healthy puppies get adopted into nice families, or families at all. Puppies are growing up and living their adult lives in shelters. In rural communities in Arizona and across the U.S., it is commonplace for animal control to euthanize healthy puppies because there is no place for them to go and the incoming never lets up. Shelters are wrongly judged and shamed into keeping animals under their roof who are unadoptable just to keep their euthanasia rates low, as if they are the problem. So, they give away animals for free to anyone who has a pulse. Not helpful.

There will always be a segment of the population who will be irresponsible and have no interest in treating animals as sentient beings with needs, which is why regulations are required to address this segment of the population. Arizona Senate Bill 1234, currently in the legislative process, would add language to existing animal cruelty laws that make it a crime to not provide an animal with adequate and appropriate food, water, and shelter. The most basic of basic decencies. This is only in play because of the now well-publicized lunatic with a history of abusing dozens of special needs dogs.

I’d prefer society take the route of regulating the supply, treating the ownership of animals as a privilege, not a right, and requiring shelters and rescues to only cater to adopters who are able to demonstrate they are part of the responsible segment of the population. But, since that isn’t part of the overall animal welfare equation, embrace euthanasia and use euthanasia statistics for what they are: a measure of the issues in the community that need to be addressed.

Raise the bar.

WHY DO WE RECOMMEND EUTHANASIA?

❌ We secretly love killing dogs.. NO!!
❌ We really don’t want to help.. NO!!
❌ We want to guilt trip owners.. NO!!

Here’s the reality.. There are too many dogs & not enough good humans. Period. We are constantly begging for fosters, adopters, donations & transport. No matter how hard we try, we are not Best Friends & we cannot “save them all” We are bailing out the ocean with a teaspoon.

HARD TRUTH: When a dog is “rehomed” ie: given away, especially for free online, their future is uncertain. Sure, there are lots of great folks that want to help, but unfortunately, there are too many others that are simply irresponsible & they won’t care for the dog as the previous owner may have & may more easily abandon it, or worse. And, as we are seeing, there are too many folks looking for dogs to abuse & torture. (don’t believe us? Google Brooke Scalero)

Think about it.. when you get a free cup at the movie theater, what happens to that cup? It gets tossed on your floorboard, it gets dirty and gross, it gets stepped on and broken. It never made it to the kitchen, was never washed, was never properly cared for, because it was FREE. Now, think about that special coffee mug you found in that groovy little shop.. you wash it carefully, it has its special spot in the cabinet, and you look forward to drinking your morning coffee in it. You CARE about that mug because you INVESTED in it. The same goes for our furry companions. 

When a pet is given away to a stranger (or high intake shelter with minimal adoption requirements) without the support of a legitimate rescue, all control over that pet’s future is surrendered.. and unfortunately, most folks won’t be as kind as the original owner when problems arise. The number of pleas we get for dogs at risk of being shot is staggering. The number of dogs being dumped is SKYROCKETING. If we choose to euthanize, at least we control the ending, and we can make it loving and beautiful. That is the lifetime commitment we make when we bring these animsls into our lives. Yes, it is heartbreaking.. yes, it will rip your guts out.. yes, you will have to live with that choice. But pretending there is a super awesome home just waiting for the pet you no longer want or are unable to care for is willful ignorance. And it is dangerous.

Let that sink in.

Personal responsibility, people. Stop blaming rescues & shelters.. We. Are. Drowning.

22/12/2024

Congratulations to Halo, who passed his therapy dog evaluation with Pet Partners! Now he is eligible to visit places like schools, nursing homes, and hospitals, to spread his Halo cheer. Beyond of course being friendly, Halo had to prove that he has a high level of focus and obedience during a series of challenging and highly distractive situations presented to him, a great benchmark achievement for anyone who loves having their dog as part of their life activities.

Nice work, Halo!! 👏👏👏

30/03/2024

This little girl was doing her best to make it as a malnourished, mange and tick-infested, TC street kid. Prior to being picked up by TCHS and receiving critical medical care, it is likely her only historical interactions with humans involved having food tossed to her on the street.

She only understood how to operate from a position of fear, and her fear presented as full-body trembling, salivating profusely, and mentally shutting down; not unusual behaviors from an ‘unsocialized’ dog whose inherent personality operates to the side of shy, submissive, and sensitive. To help her understand that a shy, street kid can be a great family companion, the goal was to persuade her to reclassify 99% of her fear associations as unnecessary, and it began with clearing up her misunderstanding that she was going to spend her life curled up in the far corner of the yard and pretend to be invisible.

With the help of her two bomb-proof dog mentors, she started a desensitization and self-confidence building program of lots of varied exercise, repetitive exposure to many different environments during both daytime and nighttime and in calm weather and windy/stormy weather, and the introduction of structure and expectations.

This YouTube video which provides some highlights of her journey is about 1.5 minutes and the only time you’ll see a leash on her is during formal loose-leash walks around town. She is making the choice to engage and participate, and her positive experiences become self-reinforcing and deepen her commitment to being a member of the team. Additionally, her diet is low carb, no grain, no kibble, and high in unprocessed meat protein to give her the nutrition and fuel she needs to be her best both mentally and physically.

If she looks like a doll, it’s because she absolutely is one.

Her adoption listing can be found on PetFinder.

This little girl was doing her best to make it as a malnourished, mange and tick-infested, TC street kid. Prior to being picked up by TCHS and receiving crit...

28/10/2023

The Fort Defiance All-Stars

Jesse and Jake are brothers and former Fort Defiance strays who are great pals and want to live their lives together. Between the highly challenging adoption environment with adoptions way down and shelters over-whelmed, as well as experiencing their own adoption challenges, they put their heads together to come up with a plan to become their best selves and find the family they needed.

Jess is a sensitive guy who lives to be loved on and has an easy-going and chill personality. Jess went to work and learned to become a therapy dog and as a 1-year-old, he passed the 20-part therapy dog test through Pet Partners on his first attempt. As a Pet Partners therapy dog, Jesse is able to go into challenging and distracting environments such as hospitals, schools, and nursing homes, to provide comfort to others, while paying close attention to and taking direction from his handler.

Jake is full of self-confidence and super athletic, so he went to work learning tricks and course obstacles and earned his AKC Intermediate Trick Dog title.

With their respective ‘degrees’ in hand, this team found their family in Tom and Judy, who’d lost their GSD family members and were ready to give these boys their home. The boys are continuing their low carb, home-made, species appropriate diet, have a big backyard to chase each other and play, and spend lots of time doing activities with their mom and dad. Mom happens to work for a large hospital group in Phoenix and gets to take Jess to work while Dad continues to work with Jake on his agility skills.

These boys have promised to be great representatives and advocates for all the Navajo reservation strays. So grateful for Tom and Judy and their love and kindness for these young brothers, and of course….nice work boys!! ❤🙏

07/01/2023

These lovely ladies, and sisters, and best pals, and former homeless kids from Tuba City, are living a full life with their amazing mom and dad who continually work with them on their skillset and take them on vacation!

Way to go, Ella and Alex! ❤🥰😍😘

01/01/2023

Be the person your dog thinks you are.
-J.W. Stephens

31/12/2022

There’s Mai!

Mai spent her homeless years as a community traveler, wandering between places where she could likely get a handout and figuring out which out-building she could get in or under to have her next litter of puppies.

She wouldn’t have believed she would get to transition to a house pup with a sweet kitty for a bff and mom who loves her. Mai’s mom says that when Mai left the rez, they lost a national treasure. Agreed! 😁

Thanks for checking in, Mai, and Happy New Year. 🥰

21/12/2022

Hey Milo! What's up with the big grin?
Oh, right! Santa's almost here and you know you're on the Exceptional list. Taking your mom and dad on walks, being a great pal to the grandbabies...the list is endless. Nice job, Milo, and Merry Christmas to you!
✔️

17/12/2022

04/12/2022

We love the growing trend of families cooking for their dog family members. What a great opportunity to support their immune systems and overall health. BLC kids also eat homemade food as part of their dietary program.

This particular batch began with homemade beef bone broth and includes beef, wild-caught salmon, eggs, pumpkin, spinach, mushrooms, blueberries, banana, goat milk, and olive oil. They also receive a daily supplement added to their meals which includes some of our nutrient-dense favorites: green lipped mussels, spirulina, kelp, and the antioxidant powerhouse, astaxanthin. And oddly enough, they LOVE it!🤷‍♀️

24/11/2022

Although there isn’t a day that goes by that BLC isn’t grateful for all the incredibly beautiful families that have adopted BLC pups, today of course provides an ideal time to express it.

Pictured are a couple of kids who BLC has had the privilege of assisting with their transition to their homes where they belong. Loyal, the big goofy boy on the left, had been in the queue for the weekly euthanasia at NNAC. Loyal, like most dogs, only wants to please, and despite having no prior experience living in a home, he is now a cherished family member and has successfully integrated into the family activities. Thank you to Loyal’s family. 🙏

On the right is silly girl Jingles. BLC picked up Jingles, who was traveling on only 3 legs, in a very remote area of the Navajo reservation. Jingles was malnourished and showed no indication of having lived in a home before. But she is full of love and the desire to be loved and she also has become an important family member with a baby human she completely adores. Thank you to Jingles’ family. 🙏

BLC is eternally grateful for all the amazing families who take these pups in with all their flaws and give them the time and care they need to blossom into their best selves. Dogs that have health issues, dogs that have socialization issues, dogs that have no idea what manners are or expectations of what good behavior is or how to manage in a household. Thank you for your time, patience, and commitment. BLC recognizes that you are a very special ‘breed’ of people and are wishing you all the very best today and every day. ❤🙏❤🙏❤

17/07/2022

Penny, Club member and former reservation stray, has taken her mom on a well-deserved vacation out of the heat and are having a great time. Good girl, Penny!

09/07/2022

Your dog owes you nothing. Not a thing.

The decision for him to be in your life wasn’t his, it was yours. He doesn’t owe you anything. If you look at your dog as owing you something in return for your attention, food, medical care etc, then that’s the first problem we have to tackle before we can even begin true training together.

Your dog doesn’t owe you “obedience” he doesn’t owe you “respect” he doesn’t owe you “good behavior” simply because he gets to share the same space and life with you. If you want that kind of relationship and behavior; that’s on you to create, not him.

YOU owe your dog. You owe it to him to understand his history, his development and his ancestors. You owe it to him to learn about his needs, his characteristics and his individual personality. You owe it to him to become educated on how he communicates with you, his body language and train him in a way he understands and enjoys and doesn’t cut corners just because it’s easier on YOU. You owe it to him to protect him and keep him safe. You owe it to him to modify YOUR environment to help him be successful.

Dogs are a privilege. WE created THEM. We’ve done them so many injustices and yet they still go to war with us, herd our livestock, protect us, find people for us, assist us devotedly, meet us at the door wagging their tails and comfort us when we are down. The tasks they do for us go above and beyond any other partnership between species imaginable, so you have to be willing to do your part too.

Your dog owes you nothing. You owe your dog. Remind yourself of that every time you get mad at him for simply doing dog things. Now, let’s get to work to make a great team.

Written by Helen St. Pierre. No Monkey Business Dog Training. Please share with CREDIT to the author.

15/04/2022

Ready for the World!
These Navajo reservation boys are so excited about their upcoming schedules. Next week they are planning a big party in celebration of turning 4 months old! (Who doesn’t?) In addition, they are now ready to find their families.

These kids have been eating healthy, working out, and are up late every night studying their ‘how-to’ manuals for being great puppies. They’ve learned to take their business outside, are walking on a leash, have learned basic skills and commands, get excited to put on their harnesses and are loving their car rides, like to go shopping for their favorite treats, and will wake up early to bring coffee to their humans😉. And of course, these boys are neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped.

They will soon be on Petfinder and Adoptapet where you can learn even more about them. A request for a link to an online application can be made by emailing [email protected].

09/04/2022

It’s no surprise at all to BLC that our happy guy and prolific kisser found his family so quickly. This juvenile was pulled from Navajo Nation Animal Control and seems to be grateful for every day and everybody.

He’s having a big time as a companion to his mom who is spoiling him with toys, car rides, lots of walking, and some swimming soon. His name is Loyal and his family includes a pup older sister and a kitty.

All the best to you, little buddy. 🥰

26/03/2022

The One and Only...

Happy G is an adoptable Dog - Labrador Retriever & Basset Hound Mix searching for a forever family near Cottonwood, AZ. Use Petfinder to find adoptable pets in your area.

20/02/2022

The Three Amigos

These boys found their way into Navajo Nation Animal Control Jail, booked on charges of trespassing and aggravated hooliganism. They are:

Jake (top left, 13 lbs.), Happy G (middle, 39 lbs.), and Jesse (lower right, 12 lbs.).

Although these three brothers are nearly identical in appearance, Happy G seems to be about 3-4 months older than the other two. We are surmising he may actually be a brother from another mother, but who’s going to break that to him?

These guys are smart and super engaging. Happy G figured out the doggie door in a day and the little ones had it down in two days. They’ve all caught on to sitting still for a treat and they’ll gain additional manners and skills in time.

They are eating nutritiously and receiving additional supplements made for puppies that include probiotics, colostrum, electrolytes, essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and omega 3. Their diets are low in carbs and high in protein and healthy fat. They have started their parvo/distemper vaccination series and will remain isolated (including no trips to the vet unless it’s an emergency) until their immune systems are ready to handle exposure to parvo and distemper.

After being neutered and microchipped, they’ll be listed for adoption on Petfinder and Adoptapet.