A Rescue dog is a dog that has been rescued from possible euthanasia after being found as a stray, a dog that has been saved from an abusive or neglectful home by an animal rescue organisation such as the RSPCA in the UK or the ASPCA in the USA, or a dog that is simply no longer wanted or can no longer be cared for by its owner.

It is a myth that rescue dogs are dangerous, aggressive and not suitable for family life. Many dogs that end up in rescue centres do so because their owners find them difficult to manage once they turn from a puppy into an adolescent. This is often not the fault of the dog, it is simply that the owner is unprepared for the commitment in both time and energy that a dog takes. The majority of dogs that arrive in rescue centres are between 6 months and 3 years of age and once adopted into the right family, turn into wonderful family pets.

Any breed of dog can arrive in a rescue centre though some breeds are more prevalent than others. In the UK, Staffordshire Bull Terriers or Bull Terrier crossbreeds make up a large proportion of all dogs in rescue simply because of their popularity amongst the population in general. Sadly unfair labelling of the breed as aggressive makes them more difficult than most dogs to rehome. Rottweilers also arrive in rescue all too often and are then difficult to place because of their size and perceived aggressive personalities. But as research has shown, people are for more likely to encounter aggression with smaller breeds like the Dachshund, Jack Russell Terrier or even the Chihuahua.

Many rescue dogs are rehomed quickly, but some wait months or even years for a home. This is particularly true when the rescue dog is older. Potential adopters worry about poor health and vets bills. However, insurance will cover new conditions and rescue centres often cover the cost of the existing illnesses for the rest of the dog's life. Another plus is that older dogs are often more placid and better behaved. There are several charities dedicated to rescuing and rehoming older dogs.

The numbers of dogs in rescue centres could be reduced with a few simple measures. Dog owners should neuter their dogs to avoid accident breeding and also microchip their animals in case they stray. Potential owners need to carefully consider which breed of dog is right for them. For example, a Border Collie is not going to be suitable if you are a town or city dweller with little time for the large amounts of exercise or the mental stimulation the breed requires. Lastly, potential owners should consider adopting a rescue dog rather than paying large sums of money to unscrupulous dog breeders and puppy farmers, encouraging them to continue overbreeding.

Rescue dogs come in all breeds, ages and sizes. What's more, they will have been assessed by experienced dog handlers at the rescue centre who will have a good idea about their personality and ideal home. With so many dogs facing death in pounds across the world, dog rescue charities exist to give these animals a second chance.

See also

Pet Pet adoption Pets for vets P.A.W.S. Human-animal bonding

References

External links

UK Rescue Dogs, searchable website of rescue dogs in the UK

Dog Rescue Directory, list of dog rescue centres

R.E.D., a non-profit that rescues dogs and other companion animals

My Dog Rescue, dog rescue and dog adoption agencies listed by city

Rocket Dog Rescue, dog rescue in San Francisco, USA

Category:Animal welfare Category:Dog types

Name	Nico
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Christa Päffgen
Origin	Cologne, Germany
Born	October 16, 1938
Died	July 18, 1988Ibiza, Spain
Genre	Protopunk, avant-garde, experimental, folk rock
Occupation	Composer, singer, fashion model, actress
Years active	1963–1988
Instrument	Vocals, harmonium, harpsichord, piano, tambourine
Voice type	Contralto
Associated acts	The Velvet Underground, John Cale, Lou Reed, Brian Jones, Kevin Ayers, John Cooper Clarke, The Invisible Girls, Blue Orchids, Bob Dylan, Brian Eno

Nico (born Christa Päffgen, 16 October 1938 – 18 July 1988) who was photographing her on a modeling job. He named her this after his ex-boyfriend, filmmaker Nikos Papatakis. She soon moved to Paris and began working for Vogue, Tempo, Vie Nuove, Mascotte Spettacolo, Camera, Elle, and other fashion magazines. She was briefly hired by Coco Chanel. In addition to her native German, she spoke four languages: English, Italian, Spanish, and French.

Before breakthrough

After appearing in several television advertisements, Nico got a small role in Alberto Lattuada's film La Tempesta (1958). She also appeared in Rudolph Maté's For the First Time, with Mario Lanza, later that year.

In 1959 she was invited to the set of Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita, where she attracted the attention of the acclaimed director, who gave her a minor role in the film as herself. By this time, she had moved to New York to take acting classes with Lee Strasberg. 's La Dolce Vita.]] She appears as the cover model on jazz pianist Bill Evans' 1962 album, Moon Beams. After splitting her time between New York and Paris, she got the lead role in Jacques Poitrenaud's Strip-Tease (1963). She recorded the title track, which was written by Serge Gainsbourg but not released until 2001, when it was included in the compilation Le Cinéma de Serge Gainsbourg.

In 1962 Nico gave birth to her son, Christian Aaron "Ari" Päffgen, commonly held to have been fathered by French actor Alain Delon. Delon always denied his paternity. The child was raised mostly by Delon's mother and her husband and eventually was adopted by them, taking their surname, Boulogne.

Beginning of musical career

In 1965 Nico met Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones and recorded her first single, "I'm Not Sayin'"/"The Last Mile", produced by Jimmy Page for Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label. Actor Ben Carruthers introduced her to Bob Dylan in Paris that summer. Dylan wrote the song "I'll Keep It with Mine" for her shortly thereafter, which she recorded for her first album, Chelsea Girl, in 1967. The group became the centerpiece of Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable, a multimedia performance featuring music, light, film and dance. Nico sang lead vocals on three songs ("Femme Fatale", "All Tomorrow's Parties", and "I'll Be Your Mirror") and backing vocals on another ("Sunday Morning") on the band's debut album, The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967).

Solo career

1960s

Immediately following her musical work with The Velvet Underground, Nico began work as a solo artist. For her debut album, 1967's Chelsea Girl, she recorded songs by Bob Dylan, Tim Hardin and Jackson Browne, among others. Velvet Underground members Lou Reed, John Cale and Sterling Morrison contributed to the album, with Nico, Reed and Cale co-writing one song, "It Was a Pleasure Then." Chelsea Girl is a traditional chamber-folk album, which influenced artists such as Leonard Cohen, with strings and flute arrangements by producer Tom Wilson. Nico was not satisfied with the album and had little say in production matters.

For The Marble Index, released in 1969, Nico wrote the lyrics and music. Accompaniment mainly centered around Nico's harmonium while John Cale added an array of folk and classical instruments, and produced the album. The harmonium became her signature instrument for the rest of her career. The album combines classical music with a European folk.

1970s

Nico released two more solo albums in the 1970s, Desertshore and The End. Nico wrote the music, sang, and played the harmonium. Cale produced and played most of the other instruments on both albums. The End featured Brian Eno on synthesizer. She appeared at the Rainbow Theatre, in London, with Cale, Eno, and Ayers. The album 1 June 1974 was the result of this concert. Nico performed a version of the Doors' "The End" at this concert, which was the catalyst for The End later that year.

On 13 December 1974, Nico opened for Tangerine Dream's infamous concert at Reims Cathedral in Reims, France. The promoter had so greatly oversold tickets for the show that members of the audience couldn't move or reach the outside, eventually resulting in some fans urinating inside the cathedral hall. The Roman Catholic Church denounced these actions, ordered the rededication of the cathedral and banned future performances on church property.

Nico and Island Records allegedly had many disputes during this time, and in 1975 the label dropped her from their roster.

1980s

Nico returned to New York in late 1979 where her comeback concert at CBGB in early 1980 was glowingly reviewed in The New York Times. She began playing regularly at the Mudd Club and other venues with Jim Tisdall accompanying her on harp and Gittler guitar. They played together on a sold-out tour of twelve cities in the East and Midwest.

Nico recorded her next studio album, Drama of Exile, in 1981. She was also said to have been a vegetarian, as well as a self-proclaimed nihilist.

Death

On 18 July 1988, while on holiday with her son in Ibiza, Spain, Nico had a minor heart attack while riding a bicycle and hit her head as she fell. A passing taxi driver found her unconscious and had difficulty getting her admitted to local hospitals. She was incorrectly diagnosed as suffering from heat-exposure and died at eight o'clock that evening. X-rays later revealed a severe cerebral hemorrhage as the cause of death.

Nico was buried in her mother's plot in Grunewald Forest Cemetery in Berlin, Germany. A few friends played a tape of "Mütterlein", a song from Desertshore, at her funeral.

Legacy

Nico has influenced many musicians, including Siouxsie and the Banshees, Bauhaus, Stevie Nicks, Patti Smith, Morrissey, Björk, Coil, Jocelyn Pook, Fabienne Shine (who covered "All Tomorrow's Parties"), Dead Can Dance as well as numerous contemporary goth bands.

Late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith cited her as a major inspiration and was said to have listened to The Marble Index for months. Smith performed covers of some of her songs - most notably "Chelsea Girls" and "These Days", both of which he performed live at Satyricon in Portland, Oregon in October 1999.

Two of her songs from Chelsea Girl, "The Fairest of the Seasons" and "These Days", both written by Jackson Browne, are featured in Wes Anderson's film The Royal Tenenbaums.

Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon named his daughter 'Nico Blue' partly after Nico. Blind Melon's album Nico was released after Hoon's death.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a movie written by John Cameron Mitchell, mentions Nico as an influential artist in its song, "Midnight Radio". The song is written by Stephen Trask.

The Cult recorded the song "Nico", which celebrates the life of the singer, on their 2001 album Beyond Good And Evil.

For her 2002 album, Kissin' Time, Marianne Faithfull recorded "A Song for Nico", cowritten with Dave Stewart.

Nico was portrayed by Christina Fulton in the 1991 biopic The Doors. She was later portrayed by Meredith Ostrom in the 2006 film, Factory Girl, which chronicles the life of fellow "Warhol Superstar", Edie Sedgwick.

Natasha Khan (Bat for Lashes) has quoted Nico as an influence in particular Desertshore (The opening song her her first albumFur and Gold, uses the name of the album in its lyrics). During 2007 she would start concerts with "Le Petit Chevalier" from that record.

Singer-songwriter Patrick Wolf has been influenced by Nico, and released cover versions of "Afraid" and "Ari's Song" as b-sides on EPs.

Rock band Anberlin named one of their songs after her: "Dance, Dance Christa Päffgen" on their album "Never Take Friendship Personal". The song also makes reference to her death, and her drug use.

Austin based band Shearwater dedicated their album Palo Santo to the memory of Nico. The opening song ("La Dame Et La Licorne") depicts Nico's death at Ibiza, Spain.

Windsor for the Derby, another Austin based band, released an instrumental track in 2000 on their Young God Release "Difference and Repetition." A live version of the song can be found on a limited edition 7-inch.

Low, an American indie rock group from Duluth, Minnesota, has a song titled "Those Girls (Song For Nico)". It is included on the box set , released in 2004.

Two Nico tribute concerts took place in Europe in the autumn of 2008 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Nico's birth and the 20th anniversary of her death. On 11 October 2008, John Cale, James Dean Bradfield (of the Manic Street Preachers), Fyfe Dangerfield of the Guillemots and others appeared on stage at the Royal Festival Hall in London. On 17 October 2008 at the Volksbuehne in Berlin, Nico's ex-boyfriend Lutz Ulbrich presented another tribute concert, which featured Marianne Rosenberg, Soap & Skin, Marianne Enzensberger and James Young, the keyboardist from The Faction, Nico's last band. Nico's son, Ari Boulogne (sometimes called Ari Päffgen), made a brief appearance on stage at the close.

Discography

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable" |- !Year !Title |- |1967 |The Velvet Underground & Nico |- |1967 |Chelsea Girl |- |1969 |The Marble Index |- |1970 |Desertshore |- |1974 |The End |- |1981 |Drama of Exile (released in two versions) |- |1985 |Camera Obscura |- |}

Bibliography

Nico: The Life and Lies of an Icon by Richard Witts, (Virgin Books: London, 1992).

Up-tight: the Velvet Underground Story by Victor Bockris and Gerard Malanga (Omnibus Press: London, 1995 reprint).

Songs They Never Play On the Radio by James Young, (Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd: London, 1992).

Nico: Photographies by Antoine Giacomoni, (Dragoon: Paris, 2002).

Nico: Cible mouvante. Chansons, Poèmes, Journal by Nico, Jacques Pauvert and Ari Boulogne, (Pauvert: Paris, 2001).

L'amour n'oublie jamais by Ari Boulogne, (Pauvert: Paris, 2001).

Nico: The End by James Young, 1993.

Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil and Gilliamn Mccain, (Grove Press: New York, 1996).

LÜÜL: Ein Musikerleben zwischen Agitation Free, Ashra, Nico, der Neuen Deutschen Welle und den 17 Hippies by Lutz Ulbrich (Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf: Berlin, 2007).

Films and plays

Nico Icon (1995), documentary directed by Susanne Ofteringer

Nico Icon Play by Stella Grundy premièred at Studio Salford on 5 September 2007

Nico. Sphinx aus Eis by Werner Fritsch (2005)

References

External links

Nico Fan Group A public social networking group for Nico fans

Habits of Waste, Pt. 1 Evaluation of Nico's early work

Habits of Waste, Pt. 2 Evaluation of Nico's later work

Nico, the Voice of Disaffected Youth - Audio story from National Public Radio

Nico (BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour audio item)

Femme Fatale: Story of Nico BBC Radio 4 14 September 2009

Category:1938 births Category:1988 deaths Category:Contraltos Category:Female rock singers Category:German female singers Category:German rock singers Category:German film actors Category:German female models Category:German vegetarians Category:The Velvet Underground Category:Warhol Superstars Category:Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute alumni Category:Dark cabaret musicians Category:Cycling road accident victims Category:Reachout International Records recording artists Category:Protopunk musicians Category:Harmonium players Category:Elektra Records artists