I saw this yesterday, and I love it

Kids get shelter dogs' tails wagging by reading them tales

Through a slide show, the kids learn to recognize stress signals in a dog's body language. They also learn how to approach such dogs — sitting sideways, with quiet voices and "library behavior" — and how to reward them with kibble if they respond.

While the shelter doesn't have hard numbers, Klepacki believes the program has made a huge difference. "Just look at the dogs in these photos," she said. "These were dogs that before were hiding in the backs of the rooms with their tails tucked. You can see the connection — you can see them responding to those kids."

The kids get reading practice and develop empathy, and the dogs learn to calm down and come out of their shells. It's a win-win situation.

A happier story

New Jersey Family Sets Out to Adopt New Dog, Finds Beloved Pet Lost After Sandy: The James family started tearing up when they walked into a shelter and saw their beloved family dog, lost after Sandy

More than a year after losing their beloved pet during Sandy, a New Jersey family made an amazing discovery during a visit to animal shelter this week: their missing dog.

Reckless, a 3-year-old brown and white terrier-pitbull mix, escaped from the James family home in Keanesburg during Sandy. James says the fence in the yard got mangled in the storm, and Reckless ran off, and his collar caught and left on the fence.

The family spent months desperately searching for him.

"It was like losing a family member," said Chuck James. "My kids were upset, my wife was upset, I was upset."

They searched for more than a year, and although they never gave up hope, James and his wife knew it was time to move on. They went to the Monmouth County SPCA to get their daughter Ally a new dog for her 10th birthday, and ended up with a gift beyond their wildest dreams.

"Sitting in the first stall in front of the doors, I looked over and I thought it looked a lot like Reckless," said James.

His wife started tearing up and said: "Look at the scar on his head! It is Reckless

Here'a wishing that they stay together for now on. :)

Last night

The Knox-Whitley County Animal Shelter was destroyed in a fire. They were able to save at least 10 dogs and 8 cats. The rest of the of the animals were killed. According to the story, donations can be made at any Forcht Bank location to help them rebuild. In the comments section of the story, there is one from Teresa J. Martin that says:

The Knox-Whitley Animal Shelter experienced a devastating fire at about 10 p.m. on Friday night. The fire completely destroyed the shelter. Fortunately many of the dogs were saved, but sadly most of the cats perished. We believe we have homes for all the dogs. What we really need right now is money to help rebuild the shelter. Please make donations (which are tax deductible) to our official PayPal account at http://tinyurl.com/KWAS-Fire-Fund

You may also donate at the Forcht Bank in Corbin and London. The Corbin branch can be reached at 606-528-3660. The London branch can be reached at 606-864-9500.

Drop-off donations may be made at two locations:

Knox County Veterinary Services 314 High Street Barbourville, KY 40906

Whitley County EMS 1002 Aviation Blvd Williamsburg, KY 40769

I haven't been able to verify the PayPal link is actually that of the fund for the shelter, so proceed with caution should you wish to go that route, but I'm including the various contact info in case it can help. I hope they are able to rebuild and continue to find loving homes for abandoned or unwanted pets.

UPDATE: Dogs Saved From Shelter Fire Have Found Homes

• 21 dogs made it out; only 3 cats did.
• The dogs were kept in pens along the outer part of the building; the cats were on the interior, and the firefighters only managed to rescue the three cats before the roof collapsed.
• The dogs have found homes, but the shelter is seeking donations to rebuild. Donations can be made through the group's official Facebook page, according to volunteer Theresa Martin. That page is at: https://www.facebook.com/knoxwhitleyanimalshelter. The PayPal address above is correct according to that page.
• The one dog that died was the shelter office dog, Miss Sassy, whose picture is posted on the Facebook page.

My thoughts and prayers are with all of the people who worked with and tried to rescue these animals. It's a terrible loss.