My Shelter Boy

I just wrote this e-mail to FreeKibble.com because I really want to win free food for the Shelter! I thought I'd post my story here so you can see that I volunteer at the Shelter as WELL AS adopt! LOL!

I am a Volunteer at the Enoch City Animal Shelter located in Enoch, Utah. Thankfully, it's a No-Kill Shelter because I work just a stone's throw away. I tell the people I work with that I'd have to quit my job if Enoch was a "kill" shelter because I couldn't drive by every day to see those dogs, knowing their fate! I already had 3 dogs and several cats when I first met Ralphie. Ralphie was a Failure-to-Thrive kitten, weighing about 3 pounds at 1 year of age.

Ralphie's the Poster Child for "Feed Me!"

That's Ralphie, next to his full-size brother.

Ralphie had SUCH an attitude, even at such a tiny little size, that I immeditely fell in love with him. The Animal Control Officer wouldn't adopt Ralphie out to just anyone because of his stature. She also didn't take him to the Vet until he reached his 1-year mark, afraid that he'd never make it that far. When Ralphie turned 1 year old on April 3 of 2010, I told Chris I wanted to Foster him. I thought he'd do better living in a home, instead of at the Shelter. He had a skin condition, constant diahhrea, plus his growth problem. With 4 other cats in the house, and 3 large dogs, I kept Ralphie in a kennel at night and then confined to the bedroom during the day. He got high quality dry cat food plus a mixture of blended chicken and rice and vitamins.

Ralphie, lounging in the sun about a week after he arrived home.

Ralphie soon took over the household as well as our hearts. His skin started clearing up, and his diahhrea all but disappeared. And he talks. Not like humans, but I've never heard a cat carry on a conversation as much as Ralphie does. He also didn't know how to play when he arrived, but now is King of the cat toys (and the dog toys!). None of the other cats, OR the dogs intimidate little Ralphie. I took him back to the Shelter for a visit one day and no-one would believe it was the same cat. I try and stress that getting cats out of Shelters and into homes is the best medicine. I didn't realize how empty our home was until Ralphie came to live there. Foster? No way. He was part of the family a week after he arrived. He isn't going anywhere! Ralphie now weighs about 8 1/2 pounds. He'll never be a large scale cat, but his personality is bigger than the whole state of Utah!

New Cats in the Shelter

It's good to get the strays off the street, but it's sad to see them end up in the Shelter. We are currently FULL and cannot take any more. Kitten season is coming, which makes it doubly sad. Why can't people spend the money to get their animals fixed. I mean, we live in Utah, where children are breeding children, but that doesn't mean our animals need to do the same thing!

Fat Toby is Flyin High in Nevada!

I just got GREAT news today! A WONDERFUL family from Nevada drove all the way here to little ole Enoch to adopt cutie pie Toby. He was such a cute, fat little fella. Even though he was just over a year old, he either got fed way too many table scraps, or he had a hormonal imbalance. At any rate, he was the chubbiest little Yellow Lab I've ever met in my life! So, I hear that he's going to be living with another dog, going on hikes in the mountains and getting lots of exercise. Nothing could make me happier. We ALL have Forever Homes waiting for us. Sometimes it just takes a little longer to find the right one. I couldn't be happier that Fat Toby finally went home.

Now, if I could get Duncan and the rest of the dogs a home, I would be doing the dance of joy!

A Feel Good Story from Ashely

I've been meaning to write this email for months. I got the most wonderful cat from the Enoch Animal Shelter. She's awesome. I had a really hard August. August was not good to me. First, I broke my toe...making it so I couldn't work for nearly a month. Second, my cat, Stan, died of FIP. He got it from Cedar City's Animal Control. It broke my heart...and I still miss him to this day. Third, a co-worker gave me a cat...but I had to give her back because she didn't like being with me. Lastly, a sweet little kitten named Ginger came into my life...and quickly left. The day Ginger died, I went to the shelter..."just to look". I had no intention of getting a cat that day. The lovely lady that helped me pointed out one of the "bigger" cats...and I had to pick this big one up just to see how big she actually was. She was massive. I put her down to look around, however, this mysterious...fat...cat made it nearly impossible. I looked down at her and said, "We'll, I guess you're coming with me..." I wasn't very thrilled about it. LoL. However, I was wishing she'd make it...seeing as cats were dying or leaving me left and right. Well, attached are pictures of this wonderful cat. She is so much more than I ever anticipated she'd be. She's more like a dog than a cat. She is incredibly needy...and funny. She's got the most wonderful personality...and the loudest purr I've ever heard. She loves like there is no tomorrow...and I know that she's waiting for me when I come home from work. I am SO glad I went to the shelter that day...and I'm so glad Betty picked me. I sure got a winner when I got her. Thanks! Ashley

And thank YOU Ashley, for telling us your Happy Ending story. It sounds like Betty definitely found her Forever Home! Congrats!

Some very sad news

I just heard from Leo's new Mom. Apparently Leo got Distemper and he didn't make it. It just breaks my heart totally and completely. Such a wonderful little kitten.

Distemper comes on suddenly and rapidly. It wasn't anything they did or didn't do, but it doesn't make anyone feel any better.

I am a HUGE homeopath and natural remedies person, especially when it comes to my cats and dogs. With the amount of animals I have, Vet bills are just one more thing that I can do without.

First signs of Distemper are high fever and severe dehydration. Vomiting often follows. It's not really the Distemper that kills the cat, it's the secondary infection that destroys things such as the white blood cells.

There ARE things you can do if you catch it early, including high doses of Vitamin C. Unfortunately, most people don't realize there ARE things that can be done. I don't fault anyone here, it's just a tragedy that may have been avoided.

Leo, you have passed over the Rainbow Bridge and are busy celebrating with others that have passed before. Always remember though, even in your short time on this earth, you were loved.

Leo found a new home!

God bless the wonderful people out there that want to bring new animals into their homes! I got an inquiry about Willis from a delightful woman that lost one of her fur-babies and wanted to get another to keep her cat company. She stopped by the Shelter yesterday to look at the cats.

Willis, being the manly cat that he is, was a bit skittish and shy. Leo, of course, is a ham, and he caught her heart and her eye. She wrote me the most delightful e-mail, thanking me for the pictures of Willis and to tell me that they adopted Leo. I am delighted! Willis needs some training to get more used to the general population, and he will get that. For now though, Leo has a brand new adventure ahead of him. She sent me a picture of Leo with her adorable little son Blayze. Now, I tell you, if this doesn't make your heart melt, nothing will!

I think Aspen found a home!

I went over to visit with the kitties today and didn't see Aspen. I'll keep my fingers crossed that she got adopted. Crash, the adorable little puppy that seems fully recovered after having been hit by a car, has a "Hold" sign on his kennel, so we'll keep our fingers crossed for that one too!

Didn't see Willis, one of my favorite cats, today. I'm hoping he's at the Vet, getting neutered and maybe a cortisone shot to help his skin irritations!

Pet Care Assumptions

I just read this article and HAD to share it. It's from a great e-mail newsletter I get from Trusted Pet Partners. Read it and share with your family and friends. The information is SO TRUE!

Pet Care Assumptions
Sharon Jones - Partner

I have begun to notice just how intrusive the conversation regarding pet trusts is for the general public. You may say "no duh," but being a partner in an internet business I don't have daily contact with the public. Attending conferences and pet expos, where I get to meet and speak with pet owners in person, has put me in touch with just how intrusive the conversation really is for most. When I ask "Have you made arrangements for your pets if something were to happen to you?," the number one answer I get is "My kids will care for them". Thank you very much, end of conversation!

Shelters, with whom I do speak with more regularly, would love to show the public all of the pets they have who were suppose to be cared for by the "kids". One shelter told me a story of a daughter who called from the mother's death bed asking them to come pick up the dog she was suppose to care for. Another shelter told me the story of the son who contacted them to take the dog because it had become blind, and he didn't want to, or know how to care for, a blind dog. Every year every shelter (6000) receives 75+ pets due to the owner's death or disability. You may say, well that is not much, but add that to the pets they receive due to financial hardship, divorce, puppy mills, and "just don't want the pet anymore", and they are drowning in our irresponsible planning.

I know it is not easy to face the fact that we are all going to die, and that many of us will become disabled, but when inviting a pet into our home planning for continued care of your pets is essential. Many of the pets who survive the owner are old and have not experienced any other home. In a shelter setting they are traumatized by the strange environment, and by missing the only person they have known for their care. If we cannot face our own mortality then perhaps we can get concerned with the fate of our loving companions, our pets. The golden rule seems to apply here, treat your pet companion the way you would like to be treated, with respect and dignity. They did not ask to be here!

Aspen the Dachsund Mix!

I understand that people have opportunities that they just can't pass up. And being 18-19 years old and getting the chance to study in Spain is something no sane young man would pass up. What I think is insane, however, is making the decision to give up your dog, your baby, your companion of 2 years. Just to give it to a Shelter and hope for the best.

Aspen is a cutie! She's very well behaved, is current on everything, spayed and good with other dogs, kids, cats and humans in general. She doesn't understand why she ended up at the Shelter and I hope she doesn't have to stay long. Dogs don't have long memories, but I don't want her early years to be tarnished by staying at the Shelter for any length of time. (Remember Abby?)

Come take a look at Aspen. She's got really wonderful coloring, is a low-rider dog and would look great walking by your side!

Feline Leukemia

Scary sounding disease, and frankly, it IS scary. I just heard that one of the cats at the Shelter was diagnosed with it after they were adopted. Could it have come into the Shelter with it? We don't know. The people that called didn't leave their name, phone number or even which cat it was they adopted.

The Enoch Shelter isn't exactly a fountain of money and FeLeuk shots are 3 times as expensive as other vaccinations. I need to have a fundraiser or something to get those cats vaccinated. My first cat died of FeLeuk long before they had any vaccinations for the disease. It was pretty horrific.

As I've read though, some cats NEVER show the symptoms. Their immune systems are built up enough to fight it off and live a good long life. So.....if you find out your cat has this disease, don't run them to the Vet to euthanize them. Read up on the disease, get a natural therapy book and fight back. You wouldn't euthanize your child because he had cancer, would you? Cats (and dogs!) can live very long lives with debiliating diseases, and they can be GOOD lives. You just need to work a little harder at taking care of them.

Don't stop caring for your fur babies. Ever.

One of my favorites!

Miss Abby was one of my favorite dogs at the Shelter. I started working there over a year ago now, and she came in a couple weeks after I started. She was a Chow-Chow, and she, along with her Cocker Spaniel sister, were left at the Shelter because their family lost their home. And it's tragic because it is happening to so many families! Sometimes we forget that when people get displaced, so do their animals. Way too many animals end up at Shelters because of the economy.

Too many end up at Shelters because "we're moving and we can't take our dog/cat with us." Well, that's just B.S. I moved down here to Cedar City from Erda (just west of Salt Lake). I rented a big van, piled all the dogs and cats in it and drove down here. Then I rented a horse trailer and did the same thing with the horses. My husband was already working down here, so it was up to me. If I can do it, there's no reason others can't.

Anyway! I digress.

Everytime I went to the Shelter, Miss Abby had a new room-mate. She was such a gentle soul, always happy to have another dog to keep her company. Her sister, Cinnamon, was adopted just 2 weeks after coming to the Shelter. Abby stayed. And stayed. And stayed. She was there OVER A YEAR! A wonderful womany named Andrea got involved in the search for a home for Abby. And she finally found one. I can't begin to thank her enough for all she did for this wondeful dog. The girl that tried to make the best out of a bad situation, finally had a home of her very own. The following is a follow-up letter from the wonderful family who adopted her. I thank God every day for people like this!

We rescued Abby from a shelter in Enoch after recieving her information from Cause for Paws. ( Petfinder.com) she was in the "No Kill" shelter for 15 monthes. We saw her and immeadiatly fell in love with her. she has the sweetest brown eyes.She adapted right away to our children in which they are inseperatable. She enjoys walks, snack time, play time, bath time, and taking the children to the bus stop. She is the best dog we have ever owned. We only wish we would have found her sooner. how nobody wanted this beautiful, wonderful, caring chow chow is beyond me. She is happy,loved, and most of all our family member. We love our Little Ms. Abby-Girl, and are thankful each and everyday to have her a part of our lives. ~The Richards Family~

MaoMao

Here are some pictures of MaoMao. I call him that because he meows at me when I come into the Cat Room. Then he hisses, then he meows. It cracks me up. Ralphie was a Failure to Thrive kitten when I adopted him from the Shelter a year ago next month. He'll be two! Check out his Blog. He was the teeniest little thing I'd ever seen. I put him on a diet of chicken and rice (with vitamins and minerals and veggies), blended up like babyfood. He ate that for about 6 weeks. His diahhrea went away, the scabs on his body went away, and he started gaining weight. He'll never be a "full-sized" cat, but he weighs about 8 pounds now. And he talks all the time - much like MaoMao does, but Ralphie gurgles more.

Anyway, MaoMao is getting friendlier every day, and I'm doing my darndest to get a little weight on his tiny little body. If someone would seriously consider adopting him, I'd definitely fix you your first week of chicken and rice, and give you the recipe!

New Arrivals at the Shelter

Puppies abound! I think people got puppies, then forgot they had them, because we had 5 of them show up at the Shelter on various days last week. Nothing about a puppy I don't like, especially the Chocolate Lab puppy that was there. AND his name was Moose. Why is that significant? Because my 9-year old Chocolate Lab is ALSO Moose! I wanted to adopt him and name him MJ, but someone beat me to it. Congrats to the new owner!

Crash is a really cute black and white Heeler, 12-14 weeks old. He was hit by a car, but seems to be doing just fine. Mercury, 12-14 weeks as well, is a charming Black Lab. Runt is a crazy Lab/Heeler Mix. At 5 months, he's ready to rock and roll.

ButterRum, who was named Ginger (but I just like saying ButterRum!) is a beautiful, altered, orange Tabby. She enjoys being picked up, likes her head scratched and just really wants to get out of the Shelter.

I've been going over to the Shelter every day at lunch, just to spend time with the cats. Cats are very social animals, but if you don't hang out with them, they can become shy. Take MaoMao for example. He's a Failure to Thrive kitten - just hasn't grown hardly at all. When I go in there now, he runs up to me, meowing and hissing at the same time. I love it! I've been giving the "special needs" cats a mixture of chicken and rice every lunchtime. It worked for Ralphie, my "Failure to Thrive" cat who weighs about 8 pounds now!

Check out these pictures. These are great animals and they all need homes.