Weekly Watch Tip for week of Sept. 5:

Are there foreclosures nearby? This can be a crisis for pets left behind who will starve to death. Take action before the home is emptied—talk with the owners about plans for their pets. Offer to help contact rescues and shelters. If a home formerly occupied by pets appears to be empty, don’t assume so. Pound on windows and call out loudly. Then listen. Some may be too traumatized to bark or meow or look out windows. Do it again several days in a row. You may save a life.

Starving dog in foreclosed-upon home is saved!

Nacho is one of the lucky ones. He was loose in the house, so he could drink water out of the toilets which probably saved his life, because he was abandoned two to four weeks earlier according his rescuer–more than long enough to die from dehydration in the heat of summer. Abandoned cats and dogs who are prevented access to bathroom toilets have little chance of surviving that long. (Sunbear was shut in a laundry room for 42 days with no food or water and was found still alive, just barely alive, but he was exceptional. It was miraculous.)

Paul found Nacho abandoned in a foreclosed-upon home during the course of his workday in a very surprising way. Read the compelling story told in his own words, with his photos, at the link below. Paul could have taken this shy dog to a municipal pound or shelter where he most likely would have been killed due to his starved condition, or his breed, or his shy temperament, or for lack of space.

Paul saved Nacho’s life. Instead of doing the easy thing, Paul (and his caring wife) took it upon himself to locate a foster home, raise some money for necessary vet care, and seek out a qualified pit bull rescue to assume his care until he could be adopted. Nacho waits there now for his forever home. If any reader is interested in adopting Nacho, please comment and I’ll put you in touch. He is in the Phoenix, AZ area.

Read about Nacho’s surprising rescue.