Cubby Checker and The Fat Boys!

Want you to do The Twist, lol. Ever since Cubby came to Williston Animal Group this song has been stuck in my head. So, I thought I would write about him and the song.

The Twist, please tell me you know The Twist, was a hit song released in the 60s by Chubby Checker. In the late 80s, The Fat Boys teamed up with Chubby Checker to re-release the song in an updated version. I have shared the video below, just in case you love nostalgia. Music videos were still fairly new in the 80s and this is a long song. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Cubby came to WAG from Bradford County where he had been adopted at an adoption event, but apparently, the adopter’s husband did not agree to the adoption and Cubby had to be returned. Bradford County reached out to us to see if we would take him and find him a new home, which we did.

Cubby is a beautiful, handsome-looking boy, with the cutest ears. He is young, about a year old, and a bulldog mixed-breed dog. Cubby does have some fence reactivity which causes him to bark at things on the other side of the fence. Other than that he is housebroken, and friendly with dogs, cats, and children, but not goats, or rabbits. He does like to chew on the leash when leashing up, see his picture below taking himself for a walk, lol. He walks great on the leash once he gets going. He has some polka dots on his tongue, which may indicate some Chow in his lineage, but we are never certain of these things. He is a beautiful brindle baby. He is neutered, up to date on all of his shots, and on flea and worm prevention. Cubby weighs about 50 lbs. I hope you enjoy his photo shoot below. If you are looking to adopt a new friend into your home, or you would like to foster which is just as nice minus the commitment of owning, please call Williston Animal Group today at 352-528-9888 or visit Cubby’s Petfinder page.

Williston Animal Group is a 501C3 dog rescue located in Williston, Florida. We are fully staffed by volunteers and funded by amazing donors and community supporters. Please ask about volunteering, fostering, sponsorships, or donating if you are interested. You can donate to WAG using the QR code shown below.

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A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free (800-435-7352) within the State. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the State. CH#: 29245.

Way Down Yonder By The Suwannee River!

That is from a song, I think, lol. But, today I am going to talk about Suwannee the dog. I am not sure who picked his name, but I like it. This very handsome hound dog was found wandering around one of the springs with no microchip, tags, or other identifiers.

He was brought to Williston Animal Group by Animal Control for the city of Williston. We did his 3-day hold and attempted to locate his owner. No one came forward to claim him and he is now available for adoption.

Suwannee is a 1 yr old Bloodhound dog, he may have a little mix in there too. He is 46 lbs. but appears very thin to me. He is now neutered, up to date on all of his shots, and started on flea and heartworm prevention. He is a lovely dog. He does not bark a lot, like other hounds we have had. He appears to possibly be housebroken, he is friendly, walks great on a leash with pulling at times but is learning, and is just an all-around awesome dog, especially for a young dog.

He got a clean bill of health from the vet and can now move into a foster home, or for adoption. Check out his dapper self in the pics below.

If you are a hound dog lover come check out Suwannee. Call Williston Animal Group at 352-528-9888 to make an appointment to meet Suwannee.

Williston Animal Group is a 501C3 dog rescue located in Williston, Florida. We are fully staffed by volunteers and funded by awesome donors. Ask about volunteering with us, or being a foster parent. Fostering a dog allows us to pull other dogs waiting to get out of shelters. There is no risk to fostering a WAG dog, so be sure and ask about it.

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It Is National Dog Day!

Hello, and happy Friday! Today is National Dog Day! How do I know? Because Facebook told me so, lol. I have been an absent blogger most of this Summer. I do this blog to help promote dogs at Williston Animal Group and their organization in general. I hope to pick back up my blogging steam now that Summer is over, and the craziness might slow down. If you work and have a family, you know what I mean.

If you don’t already own a dog, why not? Did you know there have been actual scientific studies that prove dogs are healthy for humans? The American Kennel Club did a whole article on the subject, and I will link it here. The graphic below is all of our currently available dogs for adoption. Some are on the graphic twice, and some are not there that are in foster care. We have several others in foster care that will be available soon. You can visit our Petfinder page. I post to our Facebook page daily, so it is also a great way to get updates on our dogs, and events.

Some of the studies mentioned are:

1. Dogs make us feel less alone. I have two dogs and trust me you are never alone, lol.
2. Dogs are good for your heart. I have talked about this one before and while some people are skeptical the studies show that petting a dog can help lower blood pressure by reducing stress.
3. Dogs can help you stress less. Who doesn’t want less stress? Studies show that people who suffer from anxiety, PTSD, and other conditions benefit greatly from having a dog. Dogs in general, and therapy dogs, which it is not difficult to get your dog to be a therapy dog, are very therapeutic.
4. Dogs help us cope with crises. This is similar to #3.
5. Dogs help you move more. This one is a no-brainer, dogs need to walk, and humans walk dogs. Do you need a walking buddy, or to increase your activity? Get a dog. I saw on Facebook someone posted a question about what was the most inexpensive gym equipment to own. My answer? A dog.
6. Dogs make you more attractive. It is true, proven by a scientific study. Are you having a hard time finding a date, and can’t relate to others? Get a dog, they are great conversation starters.
7. Dogs make us more social. Again, great conversation starters when you show up with a cute dog.
8. Dogs make us love them by their cuteness. I think this one is all for the dog, not us humans, lol.
9. Dogs make us happier. It’s almost like when you see cute babies and you smile or laugh, puppies and dogs have the safe effect.
10. Dogs help seniors with cognitive function and social interaction. Heads up, this one is important. If you are worried about the cognitive decline or being isolated as you age, why not adopt a dog?

There you have it, 10 wonderful reasons to own a dog. There are so many shelter dogs, and rescues looking for loving homes, please opt to adopt one. Just because a dog is mixed, or has been a stray does not mean it is a bad dog. This last year Williston Animal Group has taken on the task of rescuing dogs from rural shelters where they have no budget to house or care for strays or owner surrenders. These dogs have all been awesome dogs that would have lost their lives if WAG had not rescued them. Shelters and rescues are full all around us, and some can not even take on more at this time. Having people who can adopt some of these dogs makes room for shelters and rescues to save more lives.

Williston Animal Group is a 501C3 dog rescue located in Williston, Florida. We pull dogs from local shelters, and the city of Williston brings us dogs as well from time to time. We are fully staffed by volunteers and funded by amazing donors.

If you are interested in any of the dogs shown in the pictures below you can leave me a comment or email us at info@willistonanimalgroup.com for more info. Pictured from left to right are Jackson, Shanna, Mindy, Cubby, Suwannee, Simon, Zoey, Mindy, Maverick, Buddy the 3rd, Max a Million, and Jackson again.

Share A Home Sunday!

Hello, hello! How are all of our Williston Animal Group blog readers doing? I hope you are staying cool and keeping your pets cool as well.

I have talked about fostering before and how it can enrich your life as well as the dog, or a cat. But today, I am going to focus more on why foster homes are so important to rescues, and possibly shelters though I am not sure all have foster programs.

If you don’t follow groups on Facebook that are either shelters, or rescues, or lost and found animal groups/pages, like Williston Animal Group, then I recommend you do. The problem is such a huge problem here in Florida with lost, stolen, abandoned, dumped, strays, and most are not fixed wandering around making the population issue even worse. All local shelters are full, most rescues are full and they need help. Most rescues, if not all run with volunteers only, and shelters really need volunteers too, though some may not allow volunteers.

Fosters are an integral part of a rescue, and we are trying to grow our foster home possibilities. We have gotten a couple of new fosters on board, but we still only have about 5 or 6. Our rescue is small, and we can only handle about 10 dogs at our kennels. A long-term foster, which is a foster that is willing to keep the dog in their home through to adoption, means we can pull another dog from a shelter and some are high-kill shelters and save that dog’s life. A medical foster is a foster that can help a heartworm-positive dog through the treatment process. We need more of these, too. There are so many heartworm-positive dogs in Florida and shelters often will not treat them, due to a lack of funding. We can’t pull these dogs without a foster to care for them for at least the hardest part of the treatment. A behavior foster is a foster that is willing to foster a dog that is stressed out at the kennels and may have some behavior issues to work through. These fosters are skilled dog handlers, skilled pet owners, vet techs, and people in vet school, or animal care classes. Those are the main types of fosters most people probably think of when I talk about fostering. But, there are short-term foster options too, such as for a week, a weekend, or just an overnight stay with you, or just a walk in the park. We do not encourage dog parks, however, or off-leash parks. Even a short time away from the kennels is invaluable to the dog. It relieves stress and exposes them to new surroundings, objects, and people. They learn to ride in a car, be in a home, have manners, and learn to be great house pets. Plus, if you have kids it provides them with a buddy, and some responsibility to feed and exercise the dog.

Foster a Williston Animal Group dog and you will get the following:

1. You can pick the dog you wish to foster. If you want to be a short-term foster, like for a weekend, you could pick a different dog each time if you wanted to.
2. We provide any medical care that is needed for the dog while it is under your care. This includes toenail cutting, flea meds, and heartworm prevention meds. All vet care is paid for by us.
3. We can even provide you with food if you wish us to do so.
4. The risk is low but the benefits are high.

You can always support your local rescue in so many ways that you might not have even considered. Many landlords may be OK with a short-term foster, so be sure to ask them.

Please consider sharing your home with a rescue, or shelter dog today. Call Williston Animal Group at 352-528-9888 to apply to be a foster today. Or, you can email us at info@willistonanimalgroup.com

Williston Animal Group is a 501C3 dog rescue located in Williston, Florida. We get our dogs from local shelters where we have relationships. We don’t take owner surrenders or strays. We are completely staffed by volunteers and funded by awesome donors and community supporters. Check out our awesome current dogs.

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Sugar In The Morning!

Sugar in the morning, Sugar in the evening, Sugar at suppertime. Sugar is waiting for you to share your life. Today, I am introducing you to Sugar. She is the sweetest girl ever, and she won’t go right to your thighs. lol. Check out her beautiful picture in the morning sunrise taken by one of our volunteers.

Hi, my name is Sugar. It used to be Phoebe when I was at Levy County Animal Services. But, I am so sweet WAG changed my name to Sugar. No one showed much interest in me at LCAS, and I was so sad. No one could understand why. I am well-behaved, crate trained, and housebroken. I don’t jump, bark excessively, or have any bad manners. I am 3-4 years old and am an American Bulldog/Labrador Retriever mixed breed dog. I weigh 54 pounds, but I do not pull you around on a leash. I love to snuggle, give kisses, and go for walks. They think I am good with other animals, but I am currently being fostered in a home with no other animals. But, on my walks, I see all kinds of wild animals and I am only somewhat curious. I pretty much just notice their beauty and keep on walking. My foster parents wrote up a nice report for me and you can read it below.

From Sugar’s foster parents:

“Sugar is the perfect dog. She bonded quickly and deeply with my husband and me. She wants to be in the same room as her humans. Although there are no children in the house, she was fine with the little boy that she met at Tractor Supply. Sugar is housebroken and crate trained and enjoys sleeping in her crate with the door open.

Sugar is moderately low energy. One of her favorite things to do is roll in the grass followed by the zoomies. She has a great off switch and will then come inside and just chill. She will play tug with her squeaky toy and chew on the Nylabone independently but prefers her playtime to include her humans.

She walks well on a leash but can get distracted by smells and then will need to be refocused back to you. She was mildly interested in the dogs at the vet’s office and ignores barking at dogs on her walks. She is also only mildly interested in the local deer, turkeys, and squirrels.

She takes food and treats gently and is food motivated for our training sessions. She will stay out of the kitchen when we are cooking if asked to and will lay down during human mealtimes and not beg. She does not jump on furniture and keeps “four on the floor” while greeting people.

We will be sad to see her go as she is the perfect dog for us however it is not the right time for us to add a permanent member to the family. Whoever does adopt Sugar will gain a best friend and faithful companion.”

If you would like to meet me, or any of my wonderful friends at WAG please call 352-528-9888 to make an appointment to meet me. I look forward to meeting you.

Foster families are so important to a rescue. They offer our dogs a chance to get out of the kennel environment and be themselves. The kennel is stressful just by the nature of it. Being in a foster home teaches a rescue dog how to be part of a family. If you would like more information about fostering one of our dogs please call Williston Animal Group at 352-528-9888 for more information.

Williston Animal Group is a 501C3 dog rescue located in Williston, Florida. We are fully staffed by awesome volunteers, and funded by amazing donors and community supporters. All monies we collect go straight to the care of our dogs and the upkeep of our facilities.

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Simon Says!

Today I am going to introduce you to Simon, and Simon says he is so happy he is rid of the nasty heartworms and will be ready for his forever home on 7/23/2022. WAG will be having an adoption event that day and maybe Simon will attend.

Hi, my name is Simon. I am the cutest dog in here and I want to walk your way. As you can see I have the most beautiful, stunning, blue eyes. The fine people at Williston Animal Group rescued me and my best friend Diesel from Dixie County Animal Shelter where we were both set to be euthanized for space. Sadly, my buddy Diesel’s heartworm appears to be so severe that it can’t be treated. But, don’t be sad. He is living his best life at his foster mom’s house where he is spoiled rotten, happy, and holding his own. I do miss him terribly though, and I so would love a playmate that can handle my extra boisterous self. I am a bit extra, I won’t lie. I get very excited when it is time to go for a walk and I am still learning patience and manners. Once I am on the leash I walk very nicely. I love my toys and I seem to be dog friendly. I can play fetch and I am very affectionate. I would really love an active adopter, maybe even a teenager looking for a new bud. I need to play and exercise to be happy. A fenced yard to keep me safe and happy would be awesome! I weigh 53 pounds and am a Staffordshire Terrier Lab Mix, with possibly a little Husky in the mixture. I am about 2 years old. I am neutered, had all my shots, microchipped, and will be on heartworm prevention. I would so love to be a part of your family. To meet me please call Williston Animal Group at 352-528-9888 to make an appointment. You can also choose to foster me or sponsor me.

Williston Animal Group is a 501C3 dog rescue located in Williston, Florida. They are fully staffed by volunteers and funded by donors. If you would like to learn about volunteering, sponsoring, adopting, or fostering for this great organization please email them at info@willistonanimalgroup.com

You can view all of WAG’s dogs for adoption at Petfinder.

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Lisa Marie Is All Shook Up!

Yes, that is all related to Elvis. I went to see the new Elvis movie and was quite impressed. I was not sure I was going to like it. But, it was definitely enjoyable. But, enough of all of that. Today, I am going to introduce you to Lisa Marie. She is all shook up with excitement hoping that this is the day she gets noticed and moves into a foster home or her forever home.

Lisa Marie was brought to WAG, along with Elvis, yes that is true, from the city of Williston. Their owners did not come forward, and Elvis has already been adopted. Lisa Marie and Elvis were quite close, and she misses him very much. However, she really seems to like Xander who is her kennel neighbor. They even kiss through the fence on occasion. They actually look alike too, except Xander is a tad on the chubby side. Lisa Marie is about 2 years old and thought to be a red Labrador Retriever mixed breed dog. She has a curly tail like a Husky, and Elvis was a Husky. She only weighs 42 pounds and is super sweet. She is learning basic manners on the leash, as she will chew the leash, but we are unsure if she has ever been on a leash. She has lots of energy but loves to cuddle too. There have been no behavior issues reported to date on her kennel shift forms. She probably would need a fenced yard for exercise and safety or a family that is willing and able to exercise her several times a day. She is good with other dogs, but we don’t know about cats. A proper meet and greet would be needed for any home with other pets. If you would like to meet this strikingly beautiful dog please call Williston Animal Group at 352-528-9888 to make an appointment. Tomorrow is Forever Home Friday. Will you make Lisa Marie’s dream come true?

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Williston Animal Group is a 501C3 dog rescue located in Williston, Florida. We are fully staffed by volunteers and funded by awesome donors and community supporters. We believe Together We Can Do Great Things! Join us as a foster, volunteer, adopter, donor, sponsor, social media follower, blog follower, or any other way you see fit to help us meet our mission. Check out all of our awesome dogs on Petfinder. Or browse this blog to learn more about us and what we do. If you would like to volunteer, or foster, please contact us at info@willistonanimalgroup.com for more information.

A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free (800-435-7352) within the State. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the State. CH#: 29245.

Meet Max A Million!

Today, I am going to introduce you to the sweetest little dog, Max A Million! As with all of our rescues we know very little of their lives before they came to WAG. We know snippets, and we learn about the dogs as they stay in our care.

Hi, my name is Max! I am about a year old and a mixed breed dog. I found myself at Williston Animal Group after the vet in Williston asked WAG to rescue me when a kind person brought me to the vet in very rough shape. At best I had been severely neglected. I had all kinds of marks and sores on my body. The vet saved my life that day. WAG agreed to take me, but at first, I was aloof to them. I was not aggressive, or reactive, I just didn’t really want to be there. I would pace by the door hoping someone would let me slip by and I would just run away. But, alas, they were very diligent and patient in their care of me. They would put me in a nice big paddock where I could run and play. But, at first, I did not. I would pace by that gate as well hoping to get away. I do not know where I was going to go. After a week or so of being loved, getting fed every day, a walk, and playtime, I realized that not all humans are ugly to me. They even give me a bath every week, ooh I smell so fresh. They have taught me to sit, play fetch, walk on a leash, and most important of all to trust. I come to them now for pets, hugs, treats, and playtime. I am gentle and sweet. I am not reactive, do not jump, and I really seem to like the other dogs. We have very nice kennels at WAG. We get fans to blow on us in the heat, and warm heaters when it is cold. I have a nice bed and lots of toys to occupy me when the volunteers are not there. But, as nice as all that is I would so love a home of my own. A person to love me and continue to teach me, and maybe even a playmate. They tell me I am 47 pounds and I have put on some weight from when I first came. I was very thin they said. I am heartworm negative, neutered, and had all my shots, and I am ready to melt your heart. Check out my photoshoot below. I am available for foster, and or adoption. If you would like to meet me please call Williston Animal Group at 352-528-9888 right now to make an appointment!

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Williston Animal Group is a 501C3 dog rescue located in Williston, Florida. We are fully staffed by volunteers and funded by donors. Every dime we earn goes to the care of our dogs and the upkeep of our facilities. We also have a new program where we are assisting the public in keeping their dogs in their homes, hopefully decreasing abandonment and surrenders.

A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free (800-435-7352) within the State. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the State. CH#: 29245.

Mick Jaeger Can’t Get No Satisfaction!

Though he tries, and he tries, he just can’t get none. LOL, welcome to Monday. Today, I am going to introduce you to Mick Jaeger. He is the cutest, silliest, puppy still really. But, he can’t get no satisfaction without his forever home.

Hi, my name is Jaeger, pronounced Yaeger with a long a. My name used to be Bandit, when WAG rescued me from Lake City. A very nice college student very quickly took me into foster care and we had the most amazing bond. He re-named me, Jaeger. We were best of friends, and he started training me. Then, unfortunately, he got sick, and he had to leave Florida to go back home with his parents, and could not take me with him. He never taught me to leash walk. I walked off-leash with him, but at WAG I have to learn to walk on the leash. This has been my biggest challenge, but I am getting so much better. I am really super cute, and I love to play in the water. Not so much a pool, but the hose is to die for. I do seem to have some reactivity, to another dog that I just don’t really like so much. If the volunteers ignore me, when I am being a stinker, I get the hint. Who wants to be ignored, boo. I weigh 40 lbs and I am house-trained. I have been neutered and had all of my shots. That means I am all ready to go home with you today and be your new best friend. I love to sing in the shower, just check out my photos below to see. If you would like to meet me, I surely would love to meet you too. Please call Williston Animal Group at 352-528-9888 to make an appointment. I can’t wait!

Williston Animal Group is a 501C3 dog rescue located in Williston, Florida. We are fully staffed by volunteers and funded by donors. We are always in need of more volunteers, fosters, and donors. Please contact us to learn more about any of that.

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We do a monthly Facebook fundraiser. But, if you don’t like to use Facebook for donations here is another option for donating to WAG.

We are a great organization and with the help of the public, we believe we can do great things together. Be a part of something great, today, adopt, foster, donate, and volunteer!

A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free (800-435-7352) within the State. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the State. CH#: 29245.

Are You Ready For Some Happy Tails?

Don’t forget this is National Foster A Pet Month, and all month we are focusing on fostering our WAG dogs. Fostering is so important to the success of a rescue, any rescue, not just ours. The more dogs we can place in foster homes, the more dogs we can rescue from high-kill shelters and bring to our kennels. If you would like to learn more about becoming a Williston Animal Group foster parent, please call us at 352-528-9888, or email us at info@willistonanimalgroup.com All of the dogs below that were successfully adopted were in foster care first. You can play a meaningful role in the success of our dogs. Visit our Petfinder page to see all of our dogs available for foster, and or adoption. BTW Opie, and Hercules were rescued from shelters where they were going to be euthanized for space and economic reasons. This is an atrocity that needs to stop. Killing perfectly healthy dogs for no reason.

Are you having a hard time affording your dog? Read this blog post about WAG Gives Back.

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The next dog food giveaway will be July 2nd, more info to come this week.

Williston Animal Group is a 501C3 dog rescue located in Williston, Florida. We are fully staffed by awesome volunteers and funded by donors and sponsors.

Lucy. Lucy was in foster care and turned out to be an amazing dog. She was adopted a couple of weeks ago, and so far all is going well.

Opie was in foster care to adopt, but he was returned because his foster dad worked the night shift and felt he did not have the proper time to give to Opie. Opie then moved into another foster home and was very quickly adopted. He is an awesome dog too!

Hercules was adopted by his foster mom this past week. This little guy is adorable!