Hey Folks, I'm Terri Yezzi, the founder of Save A Tail. I have been into saving animals since I can remember. I had begged my mom to foster for the local animal shelters when I was younger and she always said no. She says now that she wonders if I would be so "crazy" about saving dogs and cats if she had gotten one way back when. She claims she's "created a monster". I have brought strays home forever now and like I said mom never let me keep them. So my ability to help started off at a very yound age. I would keep track of the dogs at the shelters and always said when I got older I would adopt the ones that didn't have a home yet. I had my little binder with pictures and descriptions of each of the dogs and when they where no longer on the list I marked them as adopted. So Naturally I was born to do this. At 12 years old I was keeping records of the dogs at the no-kill shelter. By that age I also had every AKC breed memorized at that current time, I believe it was 150 dogs back then. I have always been obsessed with dogs, I don't even know why. Now I put my good naturedness, which I learned from my mother, to helping as many animals as I possibly can.
I started this whole "project" if you will, because of a puppy that I had met. My friend had gotten her but due to a situation with his landlord's dog could no longer keep her. He knew that I would help, so I took her and gave her to someone I knew. Through the grapevine I heard that people were trying to convince him to use her as a fighting Pitbull, so for obvious reasons I took her back just to be on the safe side. I kept her for a few weeks, named her, trained her to come to her name, sit and give paw. Then an old friend said that he fell in love with her and wanted her. So for his birthday I gave her to my friend. After that I barely ever heard from him. Then 3 months later he called asking if I could watch her for a little while. He said something happened at his house. Later that night when he never called to pick her up I called him. He told me that he couldn't take her back and to do something with her! Apparently she had escaped from the backyard and jumped on the neighbor. The neighbor was threatening to sue his family because of what she is... a Pitbull. In my oppinion if he would have trained her she would never have done that. She was 6 months old and didn't have any manors, all he did was feed her and give her water. I was furious, so I kept her and vowed to find her a good and perminant home. Which I did! With this brilliant idea of fostering her, I decided that this is what I want to do from now on, help dogs in need find loving and perminant homes. The only problem is I can only personally foster one at a time, so I've made that my motto. "Saving lives one tail at a time". As heart broken and guilty as I am that Ali had turned out that way, I am greatful for the experience. I am greatfull to have learned such a valuable lesson at such a young age. And the lesson is always be careful where you place an animal. I've also realised that there should be an adoption fee, in my oppinion "if you're willing to pay for the dog, then you're willing to care for the dog." at least in most cases of course. But I will be screening everyone who is interested in giving my fosters their new furr-ever home!
My best friend is a certified dog trainer so of course I always have her help. I personally have worked in Pet Shops (awful places) Kennels, Animal Hospitals and at 2 different Grooming places. Currently I'm a Groomer at North Shore Animal Center... NOT THE LEAGUE! So clearly you can see I've had my fair share of animal experience. I also went to school for small animal care in high school. And my best friend is a certified dog trainer so of course I always have her help. I watch ALOT of Dog Whisperer and I apply alot of his techniques to my fosters "issues". I feel that there should be more Dog Whisperers in the world especially the world Especially the United States, because we are a country that spoils EVERYTHING. We are so materialistic and we don't think about things the way they should be thought about. example, dogs are not humans they are dogs, they have needs like us not like our needs. They need exersize and disapline. Now I'm not saying they can't be our children, you can spoil your dog by giving them what they need first, not what will make us happy and feel better. My "kids" are spoiled rotten, I'm the last person that can yell at someone for feeding table scraps, but first and foremost they get what they need which is excercise. None of my dogs, personal or foster, are ever obese or too skinny. They get a portion of human food that equals the amount of excercise they had that day. If they didn't have much activity they just get their dog food.
It sickens me to hear about dogs being euthanized for space. The people on Craigslist.com who argue over other people posting ads from other states are just down right immature! Animals need homes, plain and simple, if there is someone willing to adopt a dog from a shelter in another state let them, don't punish them. I'm sure there are people from other states adopting dogs from New York. Its not just a one-way street. Animals are homeless all over not just certain communities. If there is one that would have a loving and perminant home then who cares where the family lives and what shelter the dog is in. The dog found a home, period! And it bothers me when people say that they moved and need to find a place for their "beloved" pet. To me they couldn't have been that "beloved" because then they would have found a place that allowed pets. Okay yes sometimes there really is no choice but come on your moving out of state and can't take your pet. WHATEVER! These are the reasons why so many pets are homeless, in shelters or in pounds. Because people don't think about anyone but themselves. I once read an article online, I forget where but it had said that dogs have just become materialistic items that are cute and cuddly when convinent and a throw away item when not. Its a sad truth and it's sickening to true animal lovers like myself. Now I'm not saying I'm the perfect owner because I mean lets face it, no one is 100% all the time. I have had my stupid moments but I would never move or go anywhere without my "kids". Now I'm making myself out to be "the crazy cat lady" type but I'm not. I am a fun loving young adult, living life the way I see fit. I have an awsome hobby as stressfull as it can be at times, awsome friends and boyfriend who support me. And then theres my mom who let me start Save A Tail in her house.
