Ellie the Itty Bitty Pittie

05/05/2021

Ellie the Itty Bitty Pittie updated their website address.

Ellie the Itty Bitty Pittie updated their website address.

03/07/2021

Ellie’s newest sibling Petey has had a really terrible time with the effects of his heartworm treatment. For a while, we weren’t sure he was going to make it, as his blood system crashed and his platelets went to near zero. He was completely blind for several days as his eyes lost all moisture. It was tough.

But after a hospitalization and a lot of intense medication, Petey seems to be on the path to recovery. He has his eyes open and seems to be seeing ok. Last night, all three dogs were resting peacefully. Petey is the one in the lower right.

Heartworms are no picnic. Neither is the treatment. Make sure you have your pets on heartworm prevention.

06/22/2019

What flavor did you say this couch was?

05/22/2019

Ellie came to the office with Tom today. (She always wears her seat belt). Now she’s spending the working day doing her job—being gentle, cute and sleepy.

05/04/2019

Ellie is helping to attend the ARC booth at Veg Fest at the Sarasota County Fair Grounds by Robarts Arena. Come out and join us!!

04/01/2019

Ellie and Tom went out over the weekend to see what was going on around town. We stopped in the Beach Club on Siesta Key and chatted with Stevie, who also runs the Dibs Food Truck. It’s great Caribbean-Asian food. You should check it out.

03/23/2019

Rescue Superpowers -ARC Mission Video 2019

Ellie and Tom want to remind you that the Animal Rescue Coalition helps save innocent lives by decreasing overcrowding in shelters. This ARC film was produced at Nate’s Honor Rescue, where Ellie lived before she found her furever home.

If you have lost a pet, remember, that the best way to honor the life of your companion is to go out and save another. And remember the Animal Rescue Coalition with your charitable contributions at www.ARCSRQ.org.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=-JlrU-fB9OE

ARC Sarasota's 2019 Mission Video. Spay and Neuter is the key to ending shelter overcrowding and senseless euthanasia. Help homeless animals discover their s...

03/16/2019

Ellie is over her back problems and we went out to see how the St Patrick’s Day plans are proceeding. Ellie reminds you Don’t Drink and Drive.

02/02/2019

As winter goes away, Ellie has doffed her sweater. This afternoon, she is kicking back at the Beach Club on Siesta Key. It was nice to meet Carly, who is a dog-lover.

01/27/2019

Tom and Ellie. Out on a rainy Sunday afternoon at The Lazy Parrot. They are very nice to their four-legged customers.

01/26/2019

Went to the Farmers Market in Sarasota today and stopped in for breakfast at C’est la Vie. It was a little chilly, but Ellie was wearing Pippi’s old sweater. And we shared an omelet. Couldn’t resist a dad joke with Laura.

01/19/2019

Ellie the Itty Bitty Pittie is out on the town. She stopped in to see Tess at the Gator Club. She has made several friends.

12/31/2018

Ellie the Itty Bitty Pittie had her first day as an office dog today, coming in for a client appointment. She rode like a champ in the car, and spent the intake appointment quietly sleeping under Tom's desk.

This looks like the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

12/31/2018

Ellie the Itty Bitty Pittie took her first car ride today and did great!! She sat like a little lady in the front seat. And tomorrow she’s going to work with Tom for a little while.

12/29/2018

Ellie and Lucy are getting to know each other.

12/29/2018

Over the holidays, Pippis family lost our most senior dog, Lucky, who was around 15. That’s pretty old for a big dog. In keeping with our tradition of honoring our lost pets by saving a new one, we went out to Nates Honor Rescue.

So meet our new family member, weighing in at 27 pounds: Ellie the Itty Bitty Pitty.

12/13/2018

Happy Holidays to everyone from the Hudson Dogs.

05/19/2018

Tablets for Sarasota County jail inmates

This is a great idea, and I commend Sheriff Tom Knight for this step into the 21st century.

The Sarasota County Jail has just unveiled a new program. Every inmate has been given a tablet and it’s been done at no cost to taxpayers.

04/03/2018

Sophie is sleeping in this morning.

03/13/2018

Lucy ran out into the backyard in the rain chasing a squirrel. About 20 seconds later she came back in with a piece of toast in her mouth. We have no idea where she got it.

03/06/2018

Save lives with Animal Rescue Coalition - Sarasota, FL.

We at the Hudson Law Office are proud to have spent 8 years on the board of the Animal Rescue Coalition. ARC has neutered over 50,000 dogs and cats, and has saved the lives of scores of injured animals, so that they could find forever homes, including our own Pippi and Rosie. This was the video that ran during our annual fundraising Unconditional Love Gala last month. Take a look, and if you can, click the "Donate" button, and help us spread a little "unconditional love." https://youtu.be/klvVl5BLgAk

We believe that no animal should lose its life to make room for another. Our Spay/Neuter and EMF programs give homeless animals their best chance to find a h...

02/24/2018

ARC - Affordable and Accessible High-Quality Spay and Neuter Services

The Hudson Law Office is excited for the annual Gala this evening for the Animal Rescue Coalition of Sarasota.

As you may know, we have supported ARC for a decade in its mission to end animal overpopulation by providing low- and no-cost spaying and neutering to cats and dogs. ARC also provides low cost vaccines to companion animals, and neuters feral cats to end feline suffering.

Most dear to HLO is the Emergency Medical Fund, which provides emergency medical treatment to injured animals, and finds forever homes for them. The ARC Emergency Medical Fund saved the lives of two Hudson pets, Rosie and Pippi (the Tri-Pawed Pitbull).

The Hudson Law Office is proud to have donated $3,500 to the Emergency Medical Fund.

Please help us support the good work of ARC, and donate here: https://www.arcsrq.org/

By reducing the number of unwanted pets in Sarasota through Spay and Neuter services, we give homeless animals a better chance to find their forever home.

01/01/2018

Sophie says, “Party like an animal. I do. But take a cab home.” Happy New Year.

03/27/2017

Hard to believe that it was ten years ago today that Pippi came to live with us. After a rough start that cost her her leg, Pippi found her niche visiting hospital patients and making appearances for the Hudson Law Office for over five years.

Even though she's been gone nearly three years, there is hardly a day we don't think about her. She never met a human that she didn't love. And hardly a week goes by without some stranger recognizing me because of her, and asking how she's doing. Bittersweet. RIP Pippi.

07/04/2016

A happy Fourth of July to all!! Be careful. Drink in moderation, and when it comes to fireworks, remember that there are combat veterans who wish you wouldn't. And also, keep track of your pets. More dogs run away over the 4th of July than any other time of year.

05/26/2016

Shy Shelter Dog FLIPS OUT After Realizing He's Been Adopted

If you decide to get a companion animal, go to a shelter or rescue, and NOT a breeder. There are plenty in the world already!

05/19/2016

Sophie is sleeping with her tongue out again...

05/08/2016

The Present

It was two years ago, Mothers Day 2014, that Pippi left us. So, as you can imagine, this beautiful video sorta got us where we live.

After a very successful festival circuit, running on over 180 film festivals and winning more than 50 awards, we’ve decided that it’s finally time to…

04/17/2016

Dog and owner reunited after two years is the best reunion ever

A beautiful scene.

03/18/2016

Looking for a home for a cute little pit puppy

02/22/2016

EMF Story 2016 1080p

Here is the full video presentation from Saturday Night's Unconditional Love Gala. https://youtu.be/BbLKAotHH0U (WATCH UNTIL THE VERY END!!!)
If you look closely at the beginning, you can see the tribute to Pippi that hangs on the waiting-room wall at the new permanent surgery center for ARC. And the video ends--after some touching stories of lives saved by the Emergency Medical Fund--with the Pippi portrait that caught Tom by surprise. If you would like to contribute to save the lives of injured creatures, please donate today!

02/21/2016

Had a great time last night at the Animal Rescue Coalition Annual Gala. And it was a very emotional moment when the final slide of ARC's Mission Moment presentation was an unexpected tribute to someone we know....

01/08/2016

Sophie keeps hoping against hope that she can jump up into the chair and snuggle with Lucky. Looks like the best she can do is sharing the sofa with Lucky and Lucy.

09/01/2015

If you loved Pippi and would like to support the Animal Rescue Coalition, please take a moment and make a pledge to ARC through the 2015 Giving Challenge. We are eligible for matching funds if we get sufficient contributions. Please help other injured animals get the second chance that Pippi got!!!

https://www.givingpartnerchallenge.org/ /animal-rescue-coalition-inc

08/01/2015

Twice this week, strangers came up to me and asked me how Pippi was doing. It's nice to know that people still remember that beautiful ugly little girl. It brings tears to my eyes.

03/25/2015

This is Tom.

It’s been nearly a year that Pippi has been gone. In a sense, it seems like her entire life with us lasted just a few minutes. Her roster spot in our trio of rescues has been filled, and life goes on.

This page was a really important part of our effort to share Pippi’s determination and her enjoyment of life with the world at large.

Pippi was given a final honor last week by the Animal Rescue Coalition, and it seemed a fitting bookend to the start of her life. It also seemed a good time to make a final post to her page, to thank all of you for sharing in what has been a wonderful adventure.

By way of a short biography, Pippi came to the Hudson family in 2007, when this starving pit bull with a dislocated right shoulder was found wandering the streets by a couple of New College students. They took her to Ashton Animal Clinic for help. Dr. Laurie Walmsley was the Medical Director of the Animal Rescue Coalition, and luckily had a budget from the Emergency Medical Fund to try to rehabilitate injured creatures.

Dr. Walmsley first determined that the right front leg had to be amputated. Two weeks of being dislocated made it impossible to repair the joint. After six weeks of rehab, Pippi was getting around well on three legs. Thanks to the Emergency Medical Fund of the Animal Rescue Coalition, Pippi had become “adoptable.”

And the Hudson family was the lucky family.

Within a few months of sharing our home, we knew that Pippi was a special spirit, and that she should be shared with the world. Before long, Pippi was visiting hospital patients at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Sarasota. Of her seven and a half years of life, Pippi spent five years visiting thousands of hospital patients on Saturday afternoons. Nearly every Saturday, I left the hospital with tears in my eyes from the joy that Pippi brought to those patients.

But there was more than just hospital work. She was featured in our television advertising for the Hudson Law Office, and then she started raising money for the fund that saved her life, the Emergency Medical Fund of ARC.

Pippi was invited to an Animal Rescue Coalition fundraiser in 2010, and the auctioneer got the bright idea to finish the live auction with a request for donations in Pippi’s name. Pippi had charmed the crowd so much that the request raised nearly $8,000 for the Emergency Medical Fund, and was repeated for several years.

From that point forward, Pippi maintained a high profile in ARC publicity. In addition, the Hudson Law Office donated 5% of its fees from “Pippi” cases to the Emergency Medical Fund. In her lifetime, we counted nearly $24,000 raised by Pippi or in her name to help the injured animals of the Suncoast.

We were all heartbroken when in May of 2014, Pippi injured her last good leg, and the doctors said it would be cruel to put her through another rehabilitation. We said goodbye, and her tail was wagging even as she went to sleep for the last time.

Pippi’s ashes are on our bookshelf, and her three paw prints are right beside them in clay, but we never expected her final memorial. Ron Morris, a member of the Board of Directors of the Animal Coalition, was so moved by Pippi’s contributions to the Emergency Medical Fund, that he insisted on a permanent memorial to Pippi in the new ARC surgery center, whose grand opening was last week.

Thanks to the generosity of Ron and Dorothea Morris, Pippi’s memorial was unveiled at the grand opening. It’s a grand portrait of our little girl. And it’s a big one. We are humbled and delighted that this homely and crippled little dog meant so much to so many people.

So this will be the final post on Pippi’s page. It seems like we have come full circle. The Emergency Medical Fund saved Pippi’s life, and then Pippi did her best to return that favor. And now the Emergency Medical Fund has said “thank you” in a truly beautiful and meaningful way.

We will leave the page up so that people can go back and see what a great life Pippi lived, and the happiness that she shared. I don’t think I could bear to take it down entirely.

Thank you all for liking Pippi’s page and following her adventures. We encourage you to go back and read some of the older posts. If you are moved by her life and deeds, we hope you will donate to the Emergency Medical Fund of the Animal Rescue Coalition. Contributions to the Emergency Medical Fund may be sent to Animal Rescue Coalition, 6320 Tower Lane, Sarasota, Florida 34240

There is too much suffering in the world, and there are opportunities for all of us to help.

Peace.

01/18/2015

The last year has been tough, losing both Rosie and Pippi, but we are back to a full complement of rescue dogs. It's a lazy Sunday morning and we are all snuggled together.

01/10/2015

People Meet Pit Bulls For The First Time

Pits--the most maligned breed.

Man's best friend?