Smiley Dog Rescue celebrated its one-year anniversary in May of 2001. In our first year of rescue we turned 100 homeless animals into in-home companion animals throughout Bay Area Communities. We began our work in May of 2000 with the intent of assisting homeless, abandoned, neglected and abused dogs in finding their way into the hearts and homes of loving people. In just one year’s time, we have successfully placed or assisted in the placement of over 50 animals found on city streets, in local animal shelters or through our owner assistance program. As a special project, we assisted another 60 dogs from K9K9 Kennel and Sanctuary in finding new permanent or foster homes before its forced closure in April 2001. We are proud of our work this year, but there is an enormous amount left for us to do. Our goal is to be among the best rescue groups in the Bay Area, helping to end the plight of homeless and abandoned animals that are needlessly dying due to a lack of dedication and responsible ownership.

When Tim McInerney and I started Smiley Dog Rescue we had a vision of being extraordinary. We made a decision to do everything within our means to help dogs in need. This meant answering every phone call we received, (during and after our jobs) giving advise, and helping in any way we could to find permanent or temporary homes for otherwise homeless dogs. Whether assisting an individual in finding a new home for her dog, helping to locate a stray’s owner, finding temporary sanctuary, or rescuing a dog from impending euthanasia at a local shelter, we were committed to making a difference for the dogs and the community as a whole.

We couldn’t have done it without their support and help.

At Christmas we joined with O’DOG (Oakland Dog Owners Group) to sponsor our first fundraiser "Santa Paws", where dogs and cats and even a duck got their pictures taken with Santa. This successful and fun event helped us raise enough money to get us started. Additional donations from employees of Williams Sonoma corporate office, and other private individuals have helped us to continue our work. But Santa Paws is a long way off now, and we need to have other events to help raise money. Please let us know if you would like to help plan another fundraising event

We need help from other dog lovers to continue our work. Please consider a donation of your time or money. Donations of a few hours a week for transportation of dogs, handling dogs at adoption events, dog walking, training and socialization of pups and young dogs is desperately needed. Our foster program is urgently in need of new foster homes.

We look forward to many more years of success in helping dogs find their way into someone’s heart and home. Please, "open your heart to an animal in need" by rescuing a dog rather than buying or breeding one, donating your time or contributing to our medical fund. We cannot do it alone.

Respectfully Yours,

Kathy Marks- Co Founder Smiley Dog Rescue

As we begin our second year, we are ready to begin the process of filing paperwork for our non-profit status. If you love dogs and have time to volunteer your skills, we need you! We are seeking people with expertise in the following areas:

• Corporate Attorney
• Bookkeeping or Accounting
• Veterinary Medicine
• Grant Writing
• Public Relations
• Fundraising

A Call for Board Members…

If you can help us in one or any of these areas, please contact us at 510-496-3484 or e-mail us SmileyDogRescue@yahoo.com

Smiley Dog Rescue is an all volunteer organization, we have no paid employees or paid board members.

By Tim McInerney, Co-Founder

& Smiley’s Dad

I adopted Smiley on March 21, 2000 and my life has been changed forever. This handsome boy has become my best friend, my smiling companion, my partner in crime, and the source of infinite happiness in my life. Unfortunately, it wasn’t always this good for Smiley…

Smiley came to me on Valentine’s Day 2000, hand delivered by his foster mom Kathy Marks. He was wearing red glittered heart deelyboppers on his head as he walked down the sidewalk to meet me. He was damaged both physically and mentally but the glittering hearts foretold our soon to be fabulous future together.

Smiley was to become the first (and most special) of many foster animals to come into my life.

I was a new volunteer for a (another) rescue group hoping to make the world a little bit better for homeless animals. I lived in a tiny apartment that would not allow me to own a dog, but I worked for an Internet company that permitted its employees to bring their dogs to work. Although I couldn’t own a dog, I could at least help out with someone else’s dog……….right?

When Smiley and I first met, he was a wreck, an absolute basket case of a dog. He would pee all over himself and me whenever he got scared or too happy. He cringed at strange noises and people and cried and howled when he was left alone. Not exactly an ideal dog for someone. Not yet, anyway.

His owners had moved and abandoned him and another dog in their backyard, tied to a tree.

The other dog soon died of exposure, but somehow Smiley (who has proven to be incredibly strong willed) survived for almost 2 weeks without food, water or shelter. He was reportedly seen feeding on the dead dog that lay tied down next to him in order to survive. Smiley was lucky to be alive.

When he first entered the shelter, Smiley was covered with bruises, probably from being beaten. He was starving and emaciated and extremely scared and mistrusting of everyone. For some odd reason, the shelter staff really fell in love with this scared boy and instead of euthanizing him when his stray period was up, they cared for his medical condition and in time put him up for adoption. Someone mentioned Smiley to Kathy, a committed rescue volunteer, and she began spending time with him, trying to bring him out of his shell and back into the world around him. By working with him almost daily she hoped to make him more adoptable. One day, Smiley spotted a ball in the shelter yard and ran to fetch it. He brought it back for her to throw! She threw it, and again Smiley fetched and returned it to her. Kathy later told me that that day, the way she saw his face light up with the ball in his mouth, she knew that she would do anything to get Smiley out of the shelter. She went on a mission to make sure that his life would be spared! In late January, when no one saw much hope for Smiley to be adopted, he was scheduled for euthanasia. When Kathy heard about this she immediately bailed him out and committed herself as his foster mom. She dubbed him "Smiley" because of the way he bared his teeth when he became excited.

After only a few days with Smiley at my workplace we became totally bonded.

I began sneaking him into my apartment at night instead of bringing him back to Kathy. Eventually, my landlord found out that I was harboring a dog in my apartment at night, but when I explained the circumstances he agreed to let me keep Smiley as long as I never left him at home alone. I committed myself to building Smiley’s confidence, teaching him how to play like a dog, and providing him with some basic obedience training. The ultimate goal was to make him more adoptable, for someone else. After just a few short weeks, it seemed that Smiley was ready to go and we actively pursued a loving forever home for him.

A week or so after he left, I got a call from Smiley’s new family. They left a message on my answering machine saying that things weren’t working out with Smiley, that he was being "over protective" and they were becoming afraid of him.

They said that they were going to return him to the rescue group. I was shocked to hear this news yet in some strange way excited to hear that my buddy Smiley was coming back home!

When he returned, Smiley was a wreck. Cringing and submissive peeing, he was almost worse that he was when I first met him. The first night back he hid underneath the computer and would not come out to eat or sleep. In a matter of days however, he began to settle down and bond with me again. That’s when Smiley and I made a pact. We would stay together forever, never again would I give him up. I set out to find a place to live where I could have a dog. I moved my entire life in 3 days. I adopted Smiley as my forever dog. Smiley and I now live in Oakland, CA with our cat Blaze and a parade of other foster animals that all eventually find loving homes.

Smiley Dog Rescue was founded in April of 2000, and named in honor of my dog Smiley. It is a rescue group founded to help dogs (like and unlike Smiley) find their way into loving and committed homes. Animal shelters in this country are filled with dogs, perfect and not so perfect.

These dogs have often been betrayed by their owners and never given a second chance at life. Never given the chance to love and be loved. Most shelters have a high rate of euthanasia because of overcrowding and the constant demand for space (too many people treat their animals like expendable commodities; when they aren’t wanted anymore they are cast away).

There are so many deserving dogs like Smiley who sit in shelters day after day and wait for someone to take them home forever. All too many of them never find their way home.

The mission of Smiley Dog Rescue is to take dogs, perfect and not so perfect, out of the shelters and into safe and loving homes. While waiting for their forever homes, we are committed to providing them with a safe temporary home, food, toys, love, socialization, training and any medical attention that they may need. We can’t do this without the help of foster parents and donations. We all work full time and volunteer our time in the evenings and on weekends. We need more help to make the world a better place for dogs.

Frieda Needs Your Help!!

My name is Freida and I am truly lucky to have been rescued! I was wandering the streets of Oakland for over 2 months when finally, starving and exhausted, I had no more energy to keep running. A kind woman saw me and helped me into her car.

Pat Smyklo (my true savior) called everyone she knew, but no one was able to help. Finally she heard about Smiley Dog Rescue. They agreed to come and meet me. Seeing what a sweet dog I am they agreed to help. They never suspected that my medical condition would be such a drain on their finances. My treatment has gone way beyond fattening me up and treating the mange. After a few weeks of foster care, it was discovered that I had a rare form of tick disease with symptoms that mimic cancer. I couldn’t keep up the pace with the other dogs in my foster home because I had no energy. My blood count was so low that I almost needed transfusions. Multiple rounds of expensive antibiotics have helped in my recovery but I still have severe mange and now a staph infection as well. My medical care is on going but Smiley Dog Rescue continues to provide for me so that I can get better. Generous donations from individuals and the Animal Welfare Foundation have helped pay for some of my expenses.

My foster mom and trainer, Alison Smith, cooks special food for me to boost my immune system. My tired body has temporarily compromised my immune system and it is hard for me to fight off the staph and heal my mange. I am improving however, and some day I will be a beautiful German Shepherd Dog and ready to go to my forever home. If you could help Smiley Dog Rescue with a donation in my honor, I and the other doggies that they rescue would appreciate it.

Please consider opening your home and heart to an animal in need. If you are unable to do this at this time, please tell us when you might be ready and we will contact you again. To make a donation to recover the cost of medical care for Pixie and other dogs with multiple medical needs you can make checks payable to Smiley Dog Rescue and send them to PO BOX 2728 Oakland, CA 94602.

Thanks for your consideration.

Tim, Kathy, Smiley and all the Smiley Dogs of the future.

How Can You Help?

• Make a donation - helps pay for food, medicine, training, vet care, etc.

• Become a Volunteer

• Dog Training and socializing

• Adopt one of our wonderful dogs

• Fundraising

• Become a Board Member

• Bookkeeping/Accounting

• Public Relations/Marketing

The list goes on and on. Please join our team! Together we can make a difference.

The Animals Thank You!

Roxanne

Izzy

Tyler

Ben