All Creatures Big And Small, Inc.
Our Adoptable Pet List
Click here to see our pets that have already found wonderful homes!
Did You Know?
• Two unaltered cats and all their unaltered descendants can number as many as 420,000 in just seven years.
•Two unaltered dogs and their descendants can number 67,000 in six years.
Be a part of the solution NOT part of the problem, Don't Litter!
>Don't miss Oprah on Friday April 4th! She is doing a show on puppy mills...do you know where YOUR pet store puppy came from? Rescuers have been working for years to talk Oprah into investigating this matter, show your support by watching this episode!
Thinking about going to a breeder or letting your pet have "just one litter" before having them altered since all of your friends want a dog just like yours? Please take a look at all the needy faces on Petfinder and in local shelters before making that decision. Though you may be a responsible owner with your pet, do you know the people purchasing/getting a puppy from you will do the same? Hundreds of healthy pets locally are euthanized every year because owners no longer want them...the lucky ones end up in shelters and at least get a chance at finding a new home...maybe even yours? This situation is echoed across America due to the pet overpopulation problem.
Support Responsible Rescues!
It is exciting to see up-and-coming rescues sprout up throughout CNY, but please educate yourself prior to adopting from any organization. Some rescues focus on local pets, others on saving the lives of pets from high-kill shelters but all have a common goal--saving the lives of adoptable pets. Though this a noble effort, it can also be counterproductive when rescues adopt out pets for a fee without having them altered or even collecting a spay/neuter deposit. No matter where you stand on the early spay/neuter debate, we should all agree to enforce spay/neuter programs especially when dealing with formerly homeless pets. Sometimes there is a fine line between a rescue and a business. Please support rescues that have been certified non-profit, they will have a 501 (C)3 status through NY state and will use your donations to help other animals in need. If you're adopting a pet for a fee that hasn't had an exam by a licensed veterinarian or any vaccines you may want to look elsewhere. If your responsibility to have the pet altered is determined by your willingness to "promise" to have it done, please do what's best for the hundreds of unwanted pets that are euthanized in our area every year and adopt elsewhere sending a message to these rescues that they need to do more to ensure no other unwanted pets will be created from that once homeless animal. It is in our communities hands to help mold local pet welfare organizations, please only adopt from responsible rescues and let the others know that if they're not part of the solution, they are only adding to the pet overpopulation problem.
We DID it!!!
Thanks to donations, alot of hard work and oodles of elbow grease, our doggie pen is finished giving our fur-kids lots of room to run and play while they patiently wait for their new families to "find them." This was a major project for our rescue and we would like to cement-in the borders next Spring to prevent dig-outs by some of the more determined doggies :) so donations are always welcomed and needed including cement, pine shavings, blankets, dog houses and of coarse, money to help with the vet bills and medicines our fur-kids often need.
Saying Goodbye
It is with a heavy heart that we have to say goodbye to our main kitty foster home. Though now living out of the area, she is continuing to foster some of our kitty lifers so we didn't have to make the difficult decision to humanely euthanize them. For the 10+ fosters currently in her care, we are asking for your help in finding them homes since most of them have been with us since they were kittens (last year or even two years ago). Some have special needs, others are a bit timid but many are happy, well-adjusted felines that would have been "put to sleep" or dumped to fend for themselves if we wouldn't have stepped in to help them. All our kitties are house cats and accustomed to cats and dogs as well, best of all, however, is since they live with us we can tell you just what they're like so you know what to expect once they're home. Please help us by giving one of our fur-ever fosters a fur-ever home so we can continue helping them in the future. Or, if a permanent kitty is not right for you, please inquire about becoming a foster parent yourself! Click on the pictures below to find out more about our special "lifers" and what you can do to help.
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
We have been blessed the past few weeks to have the special help of a few new "friends". First, we would like to thank Doreen Macklen for donating a hand-stitched lap quilt 4ft x 3ft for us to raffle off. Winner of the quilt "The Watson family" Congratulations !... Email bogrady@citlink.net for more info. The second person we would like to thank is "Shaina" a 13 yr old Boyleston teen that recently celebrated her Bah Mitzvah (a coming of age in the Jewish religion). With the gift money she received, Shaina wanted to "give back" to animals in need and after meeting JoJo (Retriever mix) and Sandy (Shepherd mix) at the Lacona Antique Tractor Show, she decided All Creatures Big and Small was doing their part to help local animals and she wanted to help her new friends JoJo and Sandy as well by donating $100. These were such unselfish acts done out of love for our fosters that we wanted to say a special thanks and "You Guys Rock!".
Feline Friends Please Help!
Due to recent unexpected veterinary bills and slow adoptions, our bank account is nearly depleated but we are still getting calls for help and have recently taken in another litter of kittens before outside temperatures had the opportunity to take their lives. Cats/kittens are our biggest expense with vet costs often exceeding $150 per cat/kitten while adoption donations of $75 are asked prior to placement. Additional costs to help spay-the-momma are also incurred so repeat litters are not taken in year after year from the same momma. Your donations are desperately needed at this time to help things balance out so we can continue to help our feline friends. Please help us continue helping them before it's too late...Food/Litter can be delivered to one of our volunteers homes just once or once a month since every little bit helps immensely. Donations sent in the form of gift cards/certificates from Wal-Mart, or via paypal or check/money order to: All Creatures Big and Small, P.O. Box 1014 Mexico, NY 13114. Thanks everyone! I know you won't let us down :)
All Creatures Big and Small is a 501(C)3 non-profit pet rescue founded in 2003 by Beulah Sherwood (a licensed veterinary technician) and Marjorie O'Grady to help adoptable pets in need. Our pets come from various places giving priority to pets in Oswego and Jefferson Counties as well as local dog wardens who are only required to hold dogs for 5 days before having them humanely euthanized. Since our incorporation, we have been able to find permanant homes for over 100 of these adoptable dogs in Oswego County saving them from euthanasia. We would like to thank the Dog Wardens for accepting our help and contacting us when they have an adoptable dog in need rather than taking the easy way out and having them put to sleep. We also receive pets from local dog pounds, private owners, other rescues and kill shelters. If you know of a pet in need, please contact us to see if we may be able to help.
The Bishop Spay the Momma Fund!
As a special thanks to one of our volunteers who selflessly donates time each month as a "kennel gal", rercruits donations from friends and family and brings supplies to help us stay up and running, we are now renaming our spay-the-momma program the "Bishop Spay the Momma Program" to honor Nancy Bishop for her much appreciated hard work. When we take in litters of unwanted puppies and kittens, we offer a financial donation toward spaying the momma of the litter so we don't receive additional litters from "repeat offenders." This money is paid to the veterinary office of their choice, not to the owners themselves since this would encourage repeat breedings. We have now spayed/neutered ~20 momma's to help do our part in decreasing the local pet population.
In addition, we would like to thank all our rescue friends and family in Rochester for donating food and supplies when we needed them most. Rochester, you rock!
Update!
By supporting our rescue, you are helping us to continue helping them. By adopting, you are helping save two lives...the one you have adopted and the one that will soon take its place at our rescue. With our Spay/Neuter program, since March '07, we have aided in the spaying of three puppy momma's including our "Beagle Momma", the "Shepherd Momma" and the "Spaniel Momma." Help us continue to decrease the stray and homeless pet population by adopting only from rescues and shelters that adopt out pets that are already spayed/neutered or at least take spay/neuter deposits to ensure this necessity will be done. Far too often we hear of "rescued pets" that need our help only after they have had a litter of their own. Unfortunately, many of these pets were acquired from outside of the area and are now adding to our homeless pet population. Be part of the solution, spay and neuter:)
Our rescue FIRMLY believes in pediatric spay/neuter and nearly ALL pets are spayed/neutered PRIOR to adoption. Current statistics show that in New York State only 40-50% of the spay/neuter vouchers issued by shelters are ever redeemed! What does this mean? It's simple, a majority of people do not have their pets spayed/neutered even when adopted from a shelter or rescue! With new rescues popping up in Jefferson, Oswego and Onondaga County on almost a daily basis, this means BIG problems for population control. A contract doesn't guarantee anything...the only way to prevent pet overpopulation is to act and have pets spayed/neutered prior to adoption. For more info on early spay/neutering, please click on the pediatric spay/neuter icon above.
URGENT
We have had a few people in the recent past decide to go elsewhere to save a really "Urgent" animal rather than adopting one of our "safe" pets. Though our pets are with us until they are adopted, we consider all of the them to be urgent as well since in times like these, we are full and can't take in any additional pets until more have been adopted. When we can't take pets in, many will die due to lack of space at local dog wardens facilities or urgency of needing to place them from their very own families. You can rest assured that the faces you see on our website will find homes through us or other rescues we are in contact with, but please realize that our phones don't stop ringing with additional pets in need that there is just no place for. Remember to search local dog wardens facilities and pounds before going to a private breeder, approximately 25% of dogs in shelters ARE purebred but since dogs can't read, they often don't bring along their registration papers.
Special Pets
What makes our pets soo special? They are hand selected. Since we are a private rescue, we can be selective about who we take in. Though we try to help as many pets as we can, in order to do so we must shy away from those with severe personalitly disorders. Our pets are tested with other dogs, cats, children and people of all shapes and sizes. Animals are kept at our homes with our very own pets and families; those with aggressive tendencies just wouldn't fit in with our living arrangements. This close relationship with our fur-kids allows us to be knowledgeable about their individual temperments and personalities as well as their likes and dislikes. When discussing a particular pet, we will be honest with you about their shortcomings as well as their good points so that you have the "full picture" prior to setting up an appointment. We like our adoptions to be permanent; we believe our fur-kids deserve that, don't you?
Adoption Requirements
Adoptions are limited to a 500 mile radius of Lacona, NY. Transport will not be arranged and pets will not be shipped to new homes. Pets are adopted to INDOOR HOMES only and are required to be kept up to date on yearly exams and vaccinations. Adopters must fill out an adoption application and go through a phone interview prior to setting up an appointment. Once an appointment is arranged, if all goes well the new pet will be able to go home with the adoptive family on the same day! Prospective adoptive families must be willing to travel to Lacona or Mexico, NY to view the pet they are interested in; all members of the household are required to come to the adoption including dogs currently living in the household, NO EXCEPTIONS! Our policies are not meant to discourage anyone from adopting, we just want to make sure our pets go to better homes than most of them came from. We screen because we love them and we want them to stay with their new families fur-ever. An adoption donation and veterinary reference check are also required.
About Our Pets
All pets accepted into our rescue are fully vetted prior to adoption. They are examined by a licensed veterinarian, vaccinated, dewormed, deflead and spayed/neutered prior to adoption. We participate in a pediatric spay/neuter program at our veterinary clinic and pets as young as 10wks of age are altered and heal remarkably fast. Adult cats are felv/fiv tested negative prior to accepting them and litters of kittens are tested by using a represenative sample of the litter. All dogs and puppies are started on heartworm prevention and those over 6 months of age are heartworm tested. We expect prospective adopters to keep up this same standard of care.
Adoption Donation
We require adoption donations to help cover a portion of the veterinary medical expenses. Adult cats $70, Kittens $75, Adult dogs over 30# $150, dogs under 30# and puppies $250-$300 (unless otherwise stated). These donations don't even cover the cost of having them spay/neutered let alone the rest of the veterinary care provided to them. Because of this, all prices are firm.
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
We have been blessed the past few weeks to have the special help of a few new "friends". First, we would like to thank Doreen Macklen for donating a hand-stitched lap quilt 4ft x 3ft for us to raffle off. Winner of the quilt "The Watson family" Congratulations !... Email bogrady@citlink.net for more info. The second person we would like to thank is "Shaina" a 13 yr old Boyleston teen that recently celebrated her Bah Mitzvah (a coming of age in the Jewish religion). With the gift money she received, Shaina wanted to "give back" to animals in need and after meeting JoJo (Retriever mix) and Sandy (Shepherd mix) at the Lacona Antique Tractor Show, she decided All Creatures Big and Small was doing their part to help local animals and she wanted to help her new friends JoJo and Sandy as well by donating $100. These were such unselfish acts done out of love for our fosters that we wanted to say a special thanks and "You Guys Rock!".
Feline Friends Please Help!
Due to recent unexpected veterinary bills and slow adoptions, our bank account is nearly depleated but we are still getting calls for help and have recently taken in another litter of kittens before outside temperatures had the opportunity to take their lives. Cats/kittens are our biggest expense with vet costs often exceeding $150 per cat/kitten while adoption donations of $75 are asked prior to placement. Additional costs to help spay-the-momma are also incurred so repeat litters are not taken in year after year from the same momma. Your donations are desperately needed at this time to help things balance out so we can continue to help our feline friends. Please help us continue helping them before it's too late...Food/Litter can be delivered to one of our volunteers homes just once or once a month since every little bit helps immensely. Donations sent in the form of gift cards/certificates from Wal-Mart, or via paypal or check/money order to: All Creatures Big and Small, P.O. Box 1014 Mexico, NY 13114. Thanks everyone! I know you won't let us down :)
All Creatures Big and Small is a 501(C)3 non-profit pet rescue founded in 2003 by Beulah Sherwood (a licensed veterinary technician) and Marjorie O'Grady to help adoptable pets in need. Our pets come from various places giving priority to pets in Oswego and Jefferson Counties as well as local dog wardens who are only required to hold dogs for 5 days before having them humanely euthanized. Since our incorporation, we have been able to find permanant homes for over 100 of these adoptable dogs in Oswego County saving them from euthanasia. We would like to thank the Dog Wardens for accepting our help and contacting us when they have an adoptable dog in need rather than taking the easy way out and having them put to sleep. We also receive pets from local dog pounds, private owners, other rescues and kill shelters. If you know of a pet in need, please contact us to see if we may be able to help.
The Bishop Spay the Momma Fund!
As a special thanks to one of our volunteers who selflessly donates time each month as a "kennel gal", rercruits donations from friends and family and brings supplies to help us stay up and running, we are now renaming our spay-the-momma program the "Bishop Spay the Momma Program" to honor Nancy Bishop for her much appreciated hard work. When we take in litters of unwanted puppies and kittens, we offer a financial donation toward spaying the momma of the litter so we don't receive additional litters from "repeat offenders." This money is paid to the veterinary office of their choice, not to the owners themselves since this would encourage repeat breedings. We have now spayed/neutered ~20 momma's to help do our part in decreasing the local pet population.
In addition, we would like to thank all our rescue friends and family in Rochester for donating food and supplies when we needed them most. Rochester, you rock!
Update!
By supporting our rescue, you are helping us to continue helping them. By adopting, you are helping save two lives...the one you have adopted and the one that will soon take its place at our rescue. With our Spay/Neuter program, since March '07, we have aided in the spaying of three puppy momma's including our "Beagle Momma", the "Shepherd Momma" and the "Spaniel Momma." Help us continue to decrease the stray and homeless pet population by adopting only from rescues and shelters that adopt out pets that are already spayed/neutered or at least take spay/neuter deposits to ensure this necessity will be done. Far too often we hear of "rescued pets" that need our help only after they have had a litter of their own. Unfortunately, many of these pets were acquired from outside of the area and are now adding to our homeless pet population. Be part of the solution, spay and neuter:)
Our rescue FIRMLY believes in pediatric spay/neuter and nearly ALL pets are spayed/neutered PRIOR to adoption. Current statistics show that in New York State only 40-50% of the spay/neuter vouchers issued by shelters are ever redeemed! What does this mean? It's simple, a majority of people do not have their pets spayed/neutered even when adopted from a shelter or rescue! With new rescues popping up in Jefferson, Oswego and Onondaga County on almost a daily basis, this means BIG problems for population control. A contract doesn't guarantee anything...the only way to prevent pet overpopulation is to act and have pets spayed/neutered prior to adoption. For more info on early spay/neutering, please click on the pediatric spay/neuter icon above.
URGENT
We have had a few people in the recent past decide to go elsewhere to save a really "Urgent" animal rather than adopting one of our "safe" pets. Though our pets are with us until they are adopted, we consider all of the them to be urgent as well since in times like these, we are full and can't take in any additional pets until more have been adopted. When we can't take pets in, many will die due to lack of space at local dog wardens facilities or urgency of needing to place them from their very own families. You can rest assured that the faces you see on our website will find homes through us or other rescues we are in contact with, but please realize that our phones don't stop ringing with additional pets in need that there is just no place for. Remember to search local dog wardens facilities and pounds before going to a private breeder, approximately 25% of dogs in shelters ARE purebred but since dogs can't read, they often don't bring along their registration papers.
Special Pets
What makes our pets soo special? They are hand selected. Since we are a private rescue, we can be selective about who we take in. Though we try to help as many pets as we can, in order to do so we must shy away from those with severe personalitly disorders. Our pets are tested with other dogs, cats, children and people of all shapes and sizes. Animals are kept at our homes with our very own pets and families; those with aggressive tendencies just wouldn't fit in with our living arrangements. This close relationship with our fur-kids allows us to be knowledgeable about their individual temperments and personalities as well as their likes and dislikes. When discussing a particular pet, we will be honest with you about their shortcomings as well as their good points so that you have the "full picture" prior to setting up an appointment. We like our adoptions to be permanent; we believe our fur-kids deserve that, don't you?
Adoption Requirements
Adoptions are limited to a 500 mile radius of Lacona, NY. Transport will not be arranged and pets will not be shipped to new homes. Pets are adopted to INDOOR HOMES only and are required to be kept up to date on yearly exams and vaccinations. Adopters must fill out an adoption application and go through a phone interview prior to setting up an appointment. Once an appointment is arranged, if all goes well the new pet will be able to go home with the adoptive family on the same day! Prospective adoptive families must be willing to travel to Lacona or Mexico, NY to view the pet they are interested in; all members of the household are required to come to the adoption including dogs currently living in the household, NO EXCEPTIONS! Our policies are not meant to discourage anyone from adopting, we just want to make sure our pets go to better homes than most of them came from. We screen because we love them and we want them to stay with their new families fur-ever. An adoption donation and veterinary reference check are also required.
Why are some pets more expensive than others?
As much as we hate to say it, the reason some pets are more expensive than others is because of supply and demand. Typically, small dogs will find homes quicker than larger breeds and many of these very mixes are even sold by "breeders" for hundreds of dollars. Since they are in demand, we try to at least cover their veterinary expenses in their adoption donation and, if possible, any extra monies can be used to make up the difference for the larger dogs. For us to provide care for a female dog >50# and have her fully vetted, we normally spend almost $225 only to adopt her out for $150. The cat scenario is much worse. Each adult female cat we take in costs the rescue nearly $200 only to be adopted out for $70. Due to the slow turnaround of our feline friends and steady influx, we spend nearly $200 per month in basic necessities such as food, litter and cleaning supplies. At this time, our dog and puppy adoptions are making up the difference to carry our cat/kitten program...we would be forced to stop helping our feline friends without this extra support. We hope you can now understand our reasoning.
The TRUTH about Pet Stores
Time and time again we hear about puppies being "rescued" from pet stores. People hate to see them sitting in those little cages so they buy them for ridiculous prices. The truth is, reputable breeders are often less expensive and have better quality pet puppies than any store can offer. Puppies in pet stores don't need rescued, they are safe. Purchasing them ensures more puppies will be bought and brought in for sale in the future. The real victims of pet stores are the parents--the breeding moms and dads. The sad reality is, pet store puppies come from puppy mills. No matter what line of crap the associates tell you about registered breeders/ broker breeder programs, etc. it all only means one thing...they breed A LOT of animals so they have to be registered. Brokers are like clearing houses for puppies, they buy from millers and resell the pets quickly all over the U.S. and even Europe. The breeders of these pets AKA Millers have HUNDREDS of dogs crammed in cages only large enough to turn around. Many are sick and have open wounds...they are there for one thing only: to be breeding factories. When their litter sizes begin to shrink, they are pulled and killed or sold so as not to be a waste of dog food. This is a BIG industry making LOTS of money. Despite selling puppies to stores for $100-$300, they make LOADS of money by dealing in volume. Yes, you may get a happy, healthy puppy from a pet store but remember who may be sitting in the cage at home ready to breed again. Please say "NO" to petstores, the lives of thousands depend on you! With chain stores opening up in the syracuse area, please do your research before purchasing a puppy. Google HUNT CORPORATION to learn more about where these thousand dollar puppies come from!
More Than an Angel
The young pup and the older dog lay on shaded sweet grass watching the reunions.
Sometimes a man, sometimes a woman, sometimes a whole family would approach the Rainbow Bridge, be greeted by their loving pets and cross the bridge together.
The young pup playfully nipped at the older one. "Look! Something wonderful is happening!" The older dog stood up and barked, "Quickly, get over to the path."
"That's not my owner," whined the pup, but he did as he was told. Thousands of pets surged forward as a figure in white walked on the path toward the bridge. After the glowing figure passed each animal, that animal bowed it's head in love and respect.
The figure finally approached the bridge, and was met by a menagerie of joyous animals. Together, they walked over the bridge and disappeared.
The young pup was still in awe. "Was that an angel?" he whispered.
"No, son," the older dog replied. "That was more than an angel. That was a person who worked rescue.
(Author Unknown)
Please copy and paste a completed adoption application to your inquiry; since we receive dozens of emails each week, those accompanied by a completed application will be given priority. All breeds listed on our website are "best guesses". Due to limited history we cannot say with 100% certainty what breed of pet is listed or what their exact age is; with the help of our veterinarians we try to list our pets as the breed(s) they most closely resemble and age them according to the condition of their teeth. In a nutshell, we give it our best.
If your mind is set on adopting a new pet today, please look elsewhere, we are strictly volunteer and have no shelter facility. Pets cannot be moved from their foster homes on a minutes notice and reference checks normally cannot be arranged on a same day basis.
Adoption Application
Name of pet you are interested in:
Your name:
Address:
Phone number:
Place of employment:
Best time to call you:
email address:
Do you own or rent your home?
If renting, name and phone number of landlord:
Are you at least 18 yrs old?
Do you have any children living at home?
If so, how old are they?
Do you currently have any pets?
If so, please list name, breed and age:
What kind of other pets have they been around?
If you currently don't have any pets, have you had any animals in the past 5 years?
If so, what kind and why are they no longer with you?
Are/were you pets up to date on vaccines (including rabies AND distemper/parvo)?
Are/were all of your pets spayed/neutered?
Name and phone number of your veterinarian:
Have you ever given a pet away?(answering yes does not mean you will not be approaved to adopt from us)
If so, please explain the circumstance:
Potential dog adopters:
Do you have a fenced yard?
How will you keep your pet restrained when outdoors?
Where do you plan on keeping your pet when you are not home?
Do you plan on keeping your pet on heartworm preventative?
If you can no longer keep this pet, do you agree to contact All Creatures Big and Small FIRST before finding it other living arrangements?
Please initial the following terms to show that you understand and are willing to abide by them to adopt one of our pets:
I understand that this pet is being adopted as an indoor pet, cats will not be permitted to roam freely outdoors and dogs will not be adopted to be tethered to a doghouse. I intend on adopting this pet for my family and understand it cannot be given to a third party as a gift.__________________
I understand that the adoption donation is non-refundable.__________
I understand that all members of the family are required to attend the adoption; this includes dogs living in the house no matter their breed or condition. Pets will not be shipped or transported, our family is willing to travel to Lacona, NY to view them._________
In the event that you do not give truthful answers to the questions above or fail to abide by the terms set forth by All Creatures Big and Small, Inc., the shelter may reclaim the pet previously adopted. By typing your name below, you are agree to and understand the terms of this application and any subsequent adoption contract from All Creatures Big and Small, Inc. pet rescue._________________________________________
Contact Info:
Beulah Sherwood: meowchatz@hotmail.com
Marjorie O'Grady: bogrady@citlink.net
