DON'T DUMP THE DOG

Introducing my absolute favorite rescue personality of all time: Randy Grimm. He just might be a little crazy, but from what I've read, I adore everything about him and what he does for the strays, the forfeited, the feral, and the abandoned in St. Louis, MO.

Randy Grimm runs Stray Rescue of St. Louis. He rescues, works with, and adopts out dogs with problems that make the craziest dog you've ever met seem tame. And the craziest of all? Guess what! They aren't euthanized; they come to live with him! (My favorite being Charlie the crime-fighting Pit Bull that has to wear a basket muzzle at all times. One day, a bad guy crashed through his newly built fence, and Charlie chased him right back to the police..! .... Who ran in the other direction because a Pit Bull in a basket muzzle was chasing them.... But that's not the point.)

In his book, Don't Dump the Dog (with Melinda Roth,) Randy goes over all of the lame excuses he, as a rescue worker, hears everyday on the job. The old "the dog barks too much," or whatever else they can come up with. Every segment in his book is either heartwarming or funny, and it really puts some things into perspective when you stop and think about where these dogs come from and all the work the rescuers had to put into making the dog suitable for adoption.... And yet people want to return the little woofers because something about them isn't perfect.

Well, Randy Grimm isn't afraid to tell you how it is. He's witty, funny, and ... he's always right.

Example: In his book, he points some of the dumbest excuses he's ever heard.

"Dumping Excuse: "I am moving."
Quick Fix: Good for you. Take the dog with you. If your new apartment won't allow pets, find one that does. This is where I can't fix stupid. "

Anyway, it's an excellent read - more for the funny stories and stupid excuses than anything; although, I must admit that there are some very decent training tips in there! He's a great writer, and the book is seriously entertaining. I take it with everywhere I go in case I need to read something funny. =] It's almost better than Pearls Before Swine!

And I'm sure that just about every single one of us has the same view on those lame excuses for dog-dumping. I certainly share in his impatience.

You can check out Randy Grimm's Facebook page for Don't Dump the Dog. He does book signings and other interesting things.