Profiles

Portrait of a Rescuer: Sheri Berliner >>
Linda Torres: “Let the disabled K9 help the disabled human” >>

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Portrait of a Rescuer: Sheri Berliner

Sheri Berliner with a Rottie pup

Sheri Berliner is an animal lover who dove in with both feet and never looked back.

As the owner of Petraits Pet Photography, she takes portraits of pets and their humans, as well as for local shelters and rescue groups who hire her.

“Better photos and the extra publicity I provide keeps the pets moving into their forever homes faster, allowing rescue groups and shelters to adopt out more animals,” Sheri said

After photography sessions, Sheri promotes the animals virtually; she sends a short biography along with a portrait of each pet to a list of around 3,600 people. She also runs two adoption websites; one on 1-800-save-a-pet.com and one on petfinder.com (see links along with contact info below.)

One of Sheri’s emails

She takes it further by finding homes for pets whose humans can no longer care for them, and takes in strays and fosters herself.

“At first I started volunteering at a shelter. Then I started taking in stray pets that I found. I realized that with my photographic and writing skills I could use the pets’ own beauty and stories to find them homes.”

Sheri has always been a pet lover. “I grew up with dogs, rabbits, turtles, and fish. But 19 years ago, I overheard a conversation that changed my life forever.”

A coworker casually mentioned her husband was going to drown a litter of kittens that had sought refuge in their yard. “I had never had a cat, never wanted one, but that night in May of 1989, I came home with a box of flea-infested kittens. Bugsy, the only surviving cat, turned 19 this week and sleeps on my pillow every night

In the past year alone, Sheri has fostered and found homes for over 30 pets. “When I foster a dog, I take them for lots of walks, introduce them to various situations, and learn as much as I possibly can about them so I can find them the appropriate home. I also foster cats, rabbits, hamsters, and birds.”

The shelters give Sheri the most difficult cases to spotlight for them. Though she’s not sure of the statistics, she says “3-legged, senior, special needs, one-eyed, allergies, whatever, people are willing to give homes to these very special animals. There are so many wonderfully loving people in this world. It’s my job to find them.”

It’s not always a happy ending. One of the most difficult experiences came when Sheri saw a neighbor kicking out a litter of kittens with the toe of her boot. Sheri took in the kittens, but the woman wanted to keep the mama cat. Sheri offered to take the cat to be spayed and at first the neighbor declined. “(She) came back a few weeks later to say I could get her fixed. I thought it was such an exciting point in my life that I had gained this horrible pet owners’ trust.” Sheri returned the cat after keeping her for a week to heal. The next day, she was found dead on the street. “I sobbed, cried, and grieved more for her than for any other pet in my life. I had grown so attached to her and I felt like I had failed her.”

There are other hurdles. “I wish that more vets were willing to give drastic discounts to rescuers. The adoption fees have gone up based on the cost of vetting the pets. A litter of kittens with distemper set me back thousands and half of them died.”

Petraits Pet Photography is now going into its 13th year of business and Sheri’s main goal is the same; to keep pets from ever ending up in shelters.

“Ideally, I’d like to see them go from loving home to loving home and never be institutionalized.”

Advice to those interested in getting involved? “Take it slow, one pet at a time. It might be best to offer to foster a pet for a local rescue group. That way they are usually taking care of their medical care and food. Don’t overwhelm yourself or it won’t be fun and you’ll get burnt out.”

Please take a minute to peruse Sheri’s work and contributions.

Petraits Pet Photography
Web site: http://www.petraits.com
Adoptions: http://www.petraits.petfinder.org
E-mail: sheri@petraits.com
Phone: 773-777-2891

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Linda Torres: “Let the disabled K9 help the disabled human”

Linda Torres takes in special needs dogs and gives them not only a loving home, but also extensive training. These dogs go on to assist people with disabilities. She herself is disabled (with traumatic brain injury) and has her own menagerie of helpers. Here is her story:

I help train and find Psychological Service Dogs, specifically for post-traumatic stress disorder, agoraphobia, and Traumatic Brain Injury Syndrome (TBI). For more information check out http://www.psychologicalservicedogs.com/abilities.htm.

I also train dogs in my foster care to get the AKC CGC (Canine Good Citizen Award). 99% of my fosters are special needs and this training makes them better adoption candidates. Sadly, some are not good candidates for the CGC, but can still make wonderful pets. I have been adopted by (now living) 3 of my special needs fosters; two female toy rat terriers and one male southern white bulldog.

The emails I get from my fosters’ new families is what it’s all about. That even the dogs with their problems have brought SO much joy to us and others. Many old folks have been helped by my foster dogs because of problems like agoraphobia (fear of leaving home). I found the teacup-sized dogs were better off in situations like this; they were too small to be out and about like regular-sized dogs, or had poor immune systems where a simple case of worms could be deadly, or perhaps needed frequent feedings just to keep them from falling into diabetic comas. Sometimes these dogs are the only aspect of their lives that is regular and consistent. It is therapeutic not just for me, but for others as well.

I want the public educated to the fact that not all service dogs are large and/or of certain breeds. My choice would be the small hairless breeds because people cannot help but notice them in public. By breed description they are perfect for this job. Plus they are small enough to fit in a pooch bag, which allows people with upper body issues the use of both hands. Also, when you take a large to medium size dog into a restaurant, they usually do not fit under the table, and even lying close to you often end up getting accidentally kicked or stepped on. Even though they are trained to accept this, a toy type breed can sit with you in a booth in a doggie purse/pouch bag.

Also a consideration is what it feels like to just walk around a mall with what everyone else perceives to be a pouch pooch, rather then a larger dog with a big orange vest that tells everyone your different.

I also have a preference for the Molossian bully breeds because of their unjustified bad reputations, but more so for their EXTREME INTELLIGENCE and ease of trainability.

Buddy the bulldog (left)

Take for example my dog Buddy the bulldog. He came to me a badly beaten, abused, and very frightened dog. He weighed 40 pounds and was afraid to have a collar/leash, and would hide in a corner if I picked up a broom or mop, anything that looked like a stick. He had trouble walking because someone cut all his nails up to the toes, way past the quick. Several overcrowded rescue groups tried to find someone to take him. Sadly, he was considered a risk because of breed, size, and extremely high level of fear, in addition to medical costs. Rescues have to consider saving the dogs that are most likely adoptable. Buddy was not in this category.

The first time I saw him he was in a high-kill shelter, an hour before he was to be euthanized. He was shivering in a corner in a small pool of blood. I saw something in his eyes and rescued him myself.

He has now returned my kindness 10-fold. He now gives me the freedom to be almost normal and not as limited by my disability. Buddy aids with balance by bracing me, helping me up if I fall, going for help if needed. This allows me to take long walks in not so public areas. Buddy the Bulldog has passed his CGC and therapy dog certification. This summer we will be preparing and taking the Service Dog Public Access Test.

He is a 75-pound happy member of my BratPack, all of whom were special needs dogs that adopted my heart and me.

THE REST OF THE PACK
The Oldest
My eldest grandson saw the movie Ping and wanted a dog like it, a Rat Terrier.

I found a kennel that had adoptions for retired breeders and other dogs with problems. Though not my first choice, I saw Polly. She was described as a 2 1/2-year-old female loner. She lived outside and was not good with other dogs, especially at feeding time. She had a “very independent attitude.” But she had a good pedigree so they were willing to give her to a good home.

We ended up taking her and they met us halfway, as they were 2 states away. It was January, very cold, and she was handed to me from the back of an unheated horse trailer. She was shivering (as she is what is called a piebald, only 1 thin coat of fur).

I had a crate in the car but I decided to keep her on my lap. She looked so happy being petted and talked to and we bonded instantly. When we got home I did put her in her crate, as she was not house broken. I fell asleep on the couch in the same room and woke with her snuggled up next to me. She has been nicknamed grandma’s butt dog, as she never leaves my side.

Polly in her first play bow. Linda says,”That picture is very special to me. Not many people can imagine a 2 1/2 year old dog who did not even know what play was.”

The next day we went to my vet for check up, shots, and spay, it was obvious she had had multiple C-sections. Her teeth were actually black, and one even came out in the vet’s hand. She had a severe overbite, and badly infected gums. That explained why she was a loner and her supposed attitude! Her ears do not stand up as they should because of a combination of fly bites and frostbite. It was still another year before I could leave the house with out giving her a tranquilizer for separation anxiety.

The week after we brought Polly home, we took in some newborn, motherless pups that needed fostered. Three days after that a friend at my vet’s office called and said he had a 6-month-old female Rat Terrier pup that the show owner wanted put down due to Legg-Calve-Perthes (LCP) and a spinal problem. This was a good friend of mine, and even though I told him I did not want to see her, he showed up at the door with Tuffy.

She took to my grandson instantly, and is now on her fourth year with us. With veterinary follow up, and acupuncture, Tuffy has not yet had to have surgery on her leg. She does limp and has annual x-rays, but her leg is muscular.

Tuffy and Polly

Then Last Year…
My mother’s health was failing, my brother died at 42 of a heart attack, and I needed a reason to get out of bed. So, I fostered a special needs Mom and 8 newborn pups; nothing like puppies to brighten one’s days.

I thought I had my hands full when I was told of a Chinese crested pup that was going to go blind if someone could not be found to give him eye drops 24/7 for an indeterminate amount of time. He was SO DA** UGLY he was cute. Well being a glutton for punishment I took him in too and have since adopted him.

The very understanding husband happily snuggling with the newest pup.

Grandkids with the mom and pups; they help her train the dogs and educate the public.

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