Please visit the Snuggle Rescue Group Facebook page our the most current pictures and updates.

SNUGGLE was featured on KSDK this week as part of a bit on the Olympics going on this week. Check out the video!

It appears that Santa has visited early in the form of AFB International!  With a huge smile and hearts filled with gratitude and joy it is our pleasure to announce that S.N.U.G.G.L.E. has been chosen as this year’s recipient of the Ensign-Bickford charitable donation award!  It is on  behalf of the renowned pet food ingredient supplier, AFB International,  that this award is provided. 

AFB International is not just any pet food ingredient supplier.  They are fully committed to improving the health and wellness of companion animals worldwide.  They do this first by having a solid and open line of communication with their customers.  Armed with feedback, AFB goes to work not only in the factory but in the laboratory to make adjustments for a more palatable and nutritious food for our companion animals.  AFB operates in the United States, Brazil, Argentina, the Netherlands, Australia and Argentina and is highly regarded as the leader in high quality pet food.  So you can see why S.N.U.G.G.L.E. is most appreciative and forever grateful that AFB has bestowed this donation upon our rescue group.

There is not enough words to fully express our excitement and gratitude for this donation so we will let the animals speak for us as we continue to help them.   Thank you again AFB International! We look forward to the ceremony at the first of the year!

A momma beagle was brought to the Emergency Clinic in O’Fallon, MO pregnant as can be.  She was having complications and during her c-section she slipped away to the Rainbow Bridge along with two of her infant puppies.  One of our neonatal experts took the litter home and gave them the medical and emotional care they needed.  Despite all seven puppies being some what healthy at the beginning, we would lose two puppies in the coming weeks.  Being a foster means that  you take the good with the bad and when it’s bad …. it really hurts.  But the five surviving puppies are all healthy, bouncing balls of fur!  They are adorable as the day is long and have the cutest personalities.  There are four boys and only one lone girl in the entire bunch.  We speculate that the daddy was an Australian Shepherd by their markings.  They are truly miracle babies and are ready for adoption through Heartland Humane Society.  Many thanks to foster mom for enduring all she did to keep these precious animals alive!

Oh the joys of motherhood right Roxy?  Looks like Roxy and Foster Mom have done a most excellent job in getting the puppies to a nice healthy three weeks!  Hard to believe that in such a short time these little babies have grown this much!  They are now on solid dry puppy food and will soon be weaned.  Roxy is still pretty protective of her babies but is also clambering for Foster Mom’s attention just as much as the pups!   All puppies are very well socialized and love to play with you and gently nibble your toes.  When I visited this week I was greeted with lots of vocal hellos and several belly rubs were requested.  They are your typical playful, joyful balls of lovin’ – except none of them care to be held for long

periods of time.  That’s okay – at the rate they are growing they won’t be super small dogs.

For some pets the 4th of July is not time to celebrate it’s time to salivate – and shake, and tremble, and chew on the walls, and have inside accidents, and howl, and cower – GOOD NEWS THOUGH!  It no longer has to be a high-stress time for your pooch!  There are a couple of different things that you can do to calm your dog during the celebration – or during a thunderstorm.

Let me introduce to you the Thundershirt.  The Thundershirt is a soft comfortable sweater style shirt that simply slides on giving your dog a constant calming pressure that reducing anxiety.  Vets and researchers are not quite sure how the Thundershirt work on a scientific level but they have had over 80% success rate!  If you visit their site they give you complete instructions on how to introduce the Thundershirt to your pet and even offer a 100% money back guarantee. SNUGGLE has used it with several of our fosters and have had nothing but positive results.

While the Thundershirt won’t work for every dog you may need to consult with your Vet about medication.  Depending on your dog’s weight, age and general health your Vet will be able to give you the proper medication to help Max during his high anxiety signs.

Have a Happy and Safe 4th!!  And if anyone would like to share their experience with the Thundershirt or their own tricks to calming their dog or cat please feel free!

We have a very special guest in the St Louis area, well three actually.  Terri Crisp, Jennifer McKim and Louie!  Terri was instrumental in the development of SNUGGLE.  She even wrote our mission statement with our President and Founder Sharon.  Terri works for the SPCA International and has traveled to Iraq several times to bring back soldiers’ dogs that they have befriended. Some times this is the only connection that the soldier’s family will have to their lost loved one.  Sharon was able to accompany her last year and was extremely moved by the support that was given to the operation.  In addition to her many roles in several rescue foundations over the past 20 years, Terri has written a couple of books about her experiences during natural disasters where both she and Sharon have found themselves on many occaisons.  Out of Harm’s Way is Terri’s story of a life long commitment to helping animals.  Emergency Animal Rescue Stories is another compelling book outlining her experience through floods, hurricanes, fires and earthquakes.  She has a new release due out any day recounting her amazing journeys over seas to help our soldiers’ dogs so be on the look out for it, if it’s anything like her past two reads it will not be a book you can put down easily.

Upon Terri’s recent visit overseas she has brought back a 6 year old yellow lab named Louie.  He was born in South Africa and was trained as a bomb sniffing dog for the U.S.   He started having seizures two years ago and has been out of commission ever since sitting in a pen in Iraq.   Terri brought him back to the States where he will live out his life as a retired spoiled veteran! I met him today and he has that wonderful relaxed lab attitude.   His soft warm eyes are constantly following Terri to see when his next rub down will be.  He has already received the royal treatment from The Yuppy Puppy with a for real deep conditioning treatment and a bath.  He was also treated with … wait for it ….  a facial!  That’s right, a facial, and I believe he deserves it don’t you?  Before he had his day of pampering he was seen by the wonderful Dr. Marcy at The Pet Doctor where she diagnosed him with low thyroid.  This might be the cause of his seizures.

Jennifer also works for SPCA International as well and is the Development Manager keeping everyone updated on the happenings of the ins and outs of the SPCA International.  She too has traveled over seas and helped Terri with her mission to bring back dogs that would otherwise be put down, abandoned or abused since soldier’s are not allowed to transport any animals home from their assignment over seas.

Thank you ladies for indulging us this afternoon with your company!  I personally fell head over heels in love with Louie.  If I could have put him in my pocket and carried him home with me I would have!  Safe travels to you all and we thank you for all you do for the animals!

What a great time we had at the Bake Sale this past Saturday.  With the bad weather that rolled in around 3:30 a.m. we were able to take advantage of some shade for most of the day.  We made over $1300 total!!!  We thank those of you who baked and donated and we thank those of you who bought some goodies! Ms. Dovey started this bake sales many years ago and we are very grateful for her continued support! We love you Dovey!

We have a new momma and babies in our care.  We received a call about a young female terrier at a kill shelter in Illinois.   Shortly after taking Roxie in as a stray the shelter noticed she appeared to be pregnant.  After some careful planning of transportation Roxie was brought to us last week.  She is a gentle loving soul with the most amazing eyes you have ever seen!  When we first got her she smelled of urine and had a sore on her back, most likely due to rubbing on her cage but she was all smiles and very affectionate.  She was given to our pregnancy guru to foster.  Roxie settled in quite nicely the first night and after an x-ray it was determined she had 5 possibly 6 puppies.  Foster mom reported that Roxie was very close to giving birth and with the huge storm we had last Thursday night foster mom woke up to 6 healthy nursing babies!   Roxie is a delightful mother and is still a happy sweet girl!  All are doing very well in their private  room and Roxie is even learning how to use the bathroom outside.  After the puppies are weaned they will be up for adoption through one of our approved rescued groups.  The pups have doubled their weight since being born and have nice round bellies.  When I visited over the weekend Roxie remembered me and I was greeted with sloppy wet kisses and a slap of her ever moving tail.  She will be a remarkable companion.