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15 Apr 2015

48 Comments

Paw It Forward: Spay, Neuter Impact Program (SNIP)

We forgot that today was B4TC ( Blog For The Change: Be The Change For Animals) And so Mom L and I dedicate this blog post to this very important global blog event.

WE ARE THE CHANGE FOR ANIMALS

I pawticipate

HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

Many of you know that Mom L volunteers once a quarter at a clinic called SNIP (Spay, Neuter Impact Program). This last Sunday is the first one she has been able to do since she had knee replacement surgery. Yes, Mom L does now have not only one, but two, bionic knees!

And no, this does make her any faster in delivering treats and meals…just sayin’…

I asked Mom L to take you through her experience this time because she did something she had not done before and loved it. Take it away Mom!

Mom L:

Thank you Nana. I appreciate you letting me share my experience with your readers.

The SNIP clinic is run by an all volunteer organization and funded through donations and some grants. The vets, vet techs and the ‘staff chef’ and all others are volunteer people who want to make a difference in the numbers of stray, feral cats in predominately our east county. I so enjoy the time I spend here. This time I could only manage a half day; 7:30 AM – 12:30 PM. I had to take a two hour nap when I got home!

Let me tell you why.

I started with being on the intake table for all the rescue organizations who trap the cats to bring them to this low cost clinic. We spayed and neutered 109 cats Sunday and about 60 of those came through my intake table. I write on their trap tag their assigned tag number which will follow them throughout the whole process and I also note their color/breed. I work with a woman who is expert at identifying the color and breed.

This all requires standing for about 2 1/2 hours straight! But I get to see so many beautiful feral cats; even the large Tom cats with cuts and scrapes from so many fights are wonderful to see up close. Although, I always keep my fingers well outside the traps as those Toms and even females who were born feral can be very agitated.

We have a wonderful woman who brings in this fabulous spread of food and snacks to keep everyone fueled. I did not get a photo this time, but her lunch always has vegan, vegetarian and gluten free selections!

After admission was gearing down, I was sent to do ‘transport’ of the cat from the weigh station to the operation prep area. In the photos below, you can see the area where the cats receive their anesthetic injection. It is loaded with 3 types. There is a DVM present who always gives the injection while a volunteer rattles a pen or something on the trap to get the cat’s attention. As they are feral, they usually back against the back of the trap and ZZAP!!! they have their anesthetic.

Then they are lifted when asleep to the scale, weighed, get a pretty thorough examine by skilled volunteers who look for flea conditions, dental needs, wounds etc. They receive a pain med shot at this time to help them through recovery.

Then it was time for ME to do my new assignment. I got to scruff them with one hand, then scoop their butts with the other to hold them somewhat away from my body as I carry them about 50 feet down a hall to the surgery prep area.

Let me tell you, a cat weighing 7-14 pounds, while asleep, is very dead weight! I must have carried about 30 cats over about 2 hours.

I had a very fulfilling day. We had one beautiful Tom I fell in love with; he was a lovely dark brown tabby with polydactyl front paws. I hated to think of him being released back to his colony.

And that is the crux of this work. Can you believe we have so many cats who look like these??? (hover to view captions)

Asleep; at peace

Really? a feral?

She is gorgeous

Most of the cats Sunday, and every clinic, have luxurious coats which tell they get fed and have some safety. I cannot describe the joy of knowing that I was one of the few humans who may ever touch these cats. Each and every one of them is special. Each and every one of them need humans to help them survive with some resemblance of care and love. Even the beat up Toms tugged at my heart wishing they had never needed to know such a life.

If you have never volunteered at a local rescue during a spay, neuter clinic…I highly recommend it. It is an honor to be able to do something for these feral, stray cats who are only in this type of life due to humans.

During the time the cats are out of their traps, the trap is lovingly cleaned with fresh paper and disinfected. They also receive flea treatment, vaccinations and even a quick dental extraction etc if needed.

And then they are released back to the same place where they were originally trapped. Please send positive energy and healing purrs for all our ferals.

Thank you for reading until the end, Mom Linda

This is our Blog 4 The Change: Be The Change For Animals.

I pawticipate

Posted in Adult Animal Rescue Stories and tagged Blog 4 The Change, paw it forward, SNIP

24 Dec 2014

17 Comments

Another Look: Real Rescue Dogs Are Talking

This is my second re-post in a series of four. The first was published December 17, 2014.

I have updated information about my good Sibe pal RARA. It is at the end of this post. His Dad Mark gave us permission to share it.

I chose to post this interview on Christmas Eve because I believe it has the true spirit of this holiday season, whatever your beliefs may be…this is a time of giving, reaching out and caring about others whether animal or human. First published October 16, 2012…click HERE

LIFE CHANGING INTERVIEW WITH SAVANNAH

A Bi-Monthly Series Featuring Adult Rescue Dogs and Cats

Hiya! Savannah Here Again!…and with me today is another special furriend, one of my first Sibe pals from Twitter!

His Twitter handle is @ra_husky and his blog is RA Husky…he Tweets lots and blogs when he feels he has something to bark about…you can visit here to learn about his name, RA

I just luvluvluv his blog header…it is a take off on the famous painting by Edward Hopper called Nighthawks! Check out RA just hangin’ outside that diner! woo woo!

So purrlease help me make RA feel at home and give him a warm welcome!

APAWS! APAWS! APAWS!

Savannah: Hiya RA! I can’t believe you are here arwooing with me! We only knew each other on Twitter. This is great!

RA: Thank you very much for having me. I’ve read your interviews and am honored to be included. (Play bows to Savannah)

Savannah: RA, I know you are part of a pack of Sibes. I think there are 3 of you? You, RA, and Nanuk and Isis.

Anyway, can you woo a bit about how you found your furrever home with Pops?

RA: Well Savannah, about ten years ago Pops was at the vet with his cat Azrael (RIP). I was brought in earlier that day by a kind lady who found me; I was in terrible shape. I had several broken teeth and a huge laceration under my tongue that made it impossible to eat. I was miserable I tell woo!

Savannah: Aiieeee!! (stretches up to gently lick RA’s head) I feel pawful that you were so hurt RA! If it is not too painful, can you woo some more about your condition?

RA: Did I mention I couldn’t eat either? My poor elbows were like leather from sleeping on cold concrete. I was down to 45 pounds (I’m 65 now). Just down and out all around I tell woo! I ended up having to stay at the vet’s for a couple days, and Pops visited me every day.

Then on the third day I heard the techs talking about me. They said I was going to be going home; sure enough Pops showed up—this time with a leash! I picked up walking on a leash pretty quickly too.

Savannah: Meowser RA! That is totally amazing that after all you have suffered you were able to walk out ON LEASH!

Do you have anything you can woo about to help us understand any troubles you had getting used to being in a real home?

RA: Hmmm, I’ve always been a slow eater. That’s something some huskerboos do, but I eat especially slow due to my missing teeth.

I was very shy too. Even with Pops—sometimes he would have to come find me when he got home from work—I’d be hiding.

Thunder storms also used to scare me REALLY bad. I’d say the first couple years with Pops were pretty hard. I’m a lot better though. I can still be shy around people I don’t know, but I warm up soon. I really love all the little kids in our neighborhood. It’s really just grown-ups that can still upset me. Kids are fun!

Savannah: That is really great RA that you like small peeps! They scare me kind of…so, how did you and Pops work on getting you over some of your fears?

RA: Hawoooo! We ran Savannah! Sometimes we would run several times a day. Exercise was what made me happiest for a long time. (At present I prefer to snooze on the couch…or my furry special foam bed with afghan).

And being on schedule helped me a lot too. It took me a while but we started venturing out more and more; down town for biscuits and gravy on Sundays; campus for meeting all sorts of people and then the open country for me to play.

Play was hard for me at first too Savannah. I didn’t know what a ball was, can woo believe that? I learned to socialize with other K9s too. And horses, I learned about horses!

And something else Savannah, Pops reads to all us pups—out loud. And he talks to us. I think that’s one thing I enjoy most.

Savannah: That is really creative how your Pops used reading to get you used to his voice and to help you be calm…what a great idea! Mom and Dad always talk to me so I know they ‘know’ I am around.

RA give a few more woos about stuff you have changed over the years…you know, have you been able to show your REAL SELF?

RA: Hawooo! I’d say very successful Savvy! I am not nearly so shy—sometimes I’m aloof though BOL! Really though, we continue to train and play.

Exercise is not so important these days but I still enjoy a couple nice walkies every day.

Story time is still one of my favorite times of the day. I always sit & watch Pops while he reads.

Savannah: Your Pops is just great RA! So, the last question, do you have any advice to offer any advice our readers who are trying to help their own adult rescue dog show more and more of his or her REAL SELF?

RA: Make a ‘safe place’ for them. My den under Pop’s desk was my safe place for the first few years I was around.

Give them time Savannah. It took me a long time to become who I am.

And talk to them; let them hear your voice. Establish a routine so they know what to expect.

Feed them well and make sure there is always fresh cool water.

Savannah: RA, I am so purrleased you agreed to come woo with me, I know you Husky types are very, very busy, what with all the running and playing you do.

This was great! Any last thought or soft woos of wisdom you want to share?

RA: Thank you so much Savannah for having us. We’d just say to any new adopters congratulations! We think the world of animal rescuers. Enjoy your new companions!

Wasn’t RA just pawsome! What a great guy! So much to share.

Paw pats, Savannah

UPDATE ON RA MY HUSQUIBERIAN BUDDY: First, I ask that you do NOT visit RA Husky blog and leave any words of sadness or sympathy. His family has joy in having had him in their lives. In comments below, let Dad Mark know this story and update brought you happiness, not sadness.

RA passed from this world in August, 2014. His Dad Mark gave me permission and in fact encouraged me to share this update and story about RARA’s last morning with his Dad. You really must watch the videos as they are absolutely endearing and so joyful see.

In Dad Marks aka ‘Pops’ own words:

“Please do add the update of him getting his last bone, he is my love.

It was three years from the time I noticed a hitch in his getup to the time his back end completely quit…he was bright eyes and fully with it till the very end, I am glad I held him, there at the end and the last thing he heard was me saying his name…RARA.”

Dad Mark also shared this story about his and RARA’s last morning together.

“I had given him a nice marrow bone about 15 minutes before [he was to take his next journey] and about 5 minutes before he was to leave he stopped chewing and looked at me, I knew exactly what he wanted.

Some back story here; RARA loved to bury his bones, apparently they became much tastier after being underground for a few months, it always struck me very funny. Anyway, I carried him outside and that is exactly what he wanted to do, so he buried it and then looked at me and I knew he was saying it was ok to bring him back in. So I carried him in just as the vet was arriving. He knew exactly what was going on…

It’s funny how you see them out of the corner of your eye, or think you hear them, or feel a lump on the bed in the night or other stuff that reminds you they are right there…

So yes, please use Savvy’s interview with my boy.”

Dad Mark approved my sharing his videos of RARA enjoying his bone (notice the moment he glances up at his Dad to let him know it’s time to bury that bone) and being able to bury it…I suspect he took that bone with him to North of The Rainbow Bridge where all northern breed dogs surely go.

The last bone…

Burying the bone…

mmm

Posted in Adult Animal Rescue Stories and tagged paw it forward, real rescue stories

22 Dec 2014

26 Comments

Here Goes Secret Santa Paws…

HIYA!! SAVANNAH HERE!!!

This is my third year participating in a Secret Santa Paws event. I luvluvluv’d doing the last two years and snoopervising the shopping and wrapping. But as you can see, I decided to let The Kid Sage (TKS) get some experience this year.

Mind you, I most definitely did not absent myself totally from the process; rather I participated at a distance.

Looking good

Well, at least until TKS and I had a few little ‘close calls’. Mom L calls it ‘learning to play’ for me, but I call it ‘TKS being a nuisance’.

It is very important to wrap each item AND add a bow or ribbon of some kind. I myself do not care much for playing with the ribbon, but TKS, well, she gets all crazypants trying to get it out of Mom L’s hands.

So first, we had to make sure the box was just the right size. I helped TKS size it up as she is new at this.

Yes, this will do nicely

I then invited her to inspect the box to allow her to see how skilled I am at calculating the proper dimensions for maximum fit of all our items.

YRH! You are right, of course it will all fit in here!

At least she pays some attention to my teaching and coaching. Before I turned her loose on the task at hand, I did one final inspection of all the material to be used.

Nice colors, good selection of paper, you can get going

Then I left her to get the wrapping and whatnot taken care of.

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As for those ‘close calls’ TKS and I had; well, let’s just say once or twice it just might maybe possibly have been a teeny little bit of play practice on my part. I am not sure about that, but it is something I have been contemplating; it just seems easier to hiss and swat but what the heck, maybe I’ll give it a try one day. (hover over photo to view captions)