Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Serendipity at the animal shelter

Some of you know that I am a very spiritual creature by nature. I am also a therapist. Over the years I have gathered many tools of the trade. One of them is the use of vision boards. The idea is that you create a board that has images that remind you of what you want, and of course my image board has many images related to Downsy Dude Rescue Ranch. However I am going to write about this image that I did not initially relate to the project but rather to meeting like minded people.  Little did I realize just how this would manifest.


My most recent visit to the shelter was to finish my cat personality analysis training. I was to do a personality inventory on a shelter cat while under the watchful eye of a trainer. This way the shelter could allow me to then do cat  personality inventories on my own.

I went in an hour early to spend some time with a few kitties I have identified as frightened. One little new shy kitty caught my attention because she was missing about  a third of her fur. It appeared that she had been shaved in several locations on her body. Sometimes cats come in with mats or debris stuck to them and the kindest way to remove it is to shave them. This poor little kitty only had the name of "Six" indicating that she came in from a home or location where there were too many cats. She actually looked almost exactly like one of my tortoise calicoes, which is very interesting, given what happened next. If you have read my blog before you know that I have a Down's syndrome son who has a favorite kitty named Daisy. Daisy is the torti.

While I was setting on the floor in the cat suite, a Down's syndrome young man came in and sat on the bench very quietly. We said hello and he just smiled at me, not quite knowing what to say next. He was beaming with positive energy and it showed on his face. Before I know it Six was on his lap, closed her eyes and went to sleep purring. He quietly stroked the kitty, bald spots and all, with out ever commenting on the condition of her fur.

The door opened and the Young man's mother stepped in. I gave her a knowing smile and just went back to my work. After a while I shared with the mom that I also had a son with Down's. We talked about the many gifts that come with it and we both agreed that the extra chromosome that both our son's were born with should be called "the love Gene." We laughed in a way that only two mom's of Down's kids could do. As we talked we discovered that we had more and more in common. Both of us had recent terrifying experiences with illness, both are at a cross roads in our lives. I told her my plans for Downsy Dude Ranch and she nearly cried. She told me that she can not continue at her current job and has been praying for answers about what she was to do next. As I explained the concepts I was basing Downsy Dude Ranch on, you could just see the light bulb come on in her eyes. We agreed to stay in touch and exchange email information. She thanked me for the inspiration and then she told her son they had to go look at kitties in a few more locations before deciding on an adoption.

Her son spoke up and said "this one likes me, I want this one." I have to tell you it was very hard to not burst into tears at the sight of this young fella holding this ragged little cat with half her fur gone. He never noticed the fur. He only noticed that the cat instinctively knew she should belong to him. He knew, and the cat knew.

When I asked the universe to surround me with like minded people, I never dreamed I would be in the right place at the right time to see this very special, nonjudgmental young man demonstrate what I feel in my heart. I never dreamed I would meet his mother who needed the message I had for her. The experience has filled me with gratitude and affirmed my belief in the use of vision boards.

If you are interested in reading more about how I use my Vision board, and how to create one for yourself,  you can look here : Vision Boards

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Shy Kitties at the shelter

As you know I love Wednesdays because that is the day that Lewis and I go to the pound to give TLC to the animals there who are waiting for their forever homes. Yesterday we spent time with 3 kitties. One who wants to hide behind a structure, one who is choosing to live inside a fabric igloo and one who just needed a warm lap and some kindness.

Dede is in Suite one. She is very stressed and wants to hide behind  a shelf structure. Last week I was able to coax her out with treats but this week she was not willing to come out. I moved the structure and got behind it with her . She enjoyed the company and allowed me to comfort her. Dede likes other kitties and often will have one or two others in her hidy place with her for snuggles.



Bella is the igloo kitty who has claimed a fabric igloo as her safe place. I could not coax Bella out of her igloo so I picked the entire thing up and set it and her on my lap on the floor. I slowly peeled down the side to expose her and she allowed me to pet her for a few minutes but had the kind of nervous purr a cat gets when they are very stressed. She let me know when she had enough and I set her down. I stayed in the suite and in a few minutes she emerged from her igloo to get some additional love and a few treats I had in my pocket. Progress is such a heart warming thing to experience.



Millie is a sweet little fuzzball. Just look at the length of the fur on her cheeks! Millie had a rough start at the pound with another kitty attacking her when she came in. She is clearly traumatized from her  changes in her life and just needed a kind lap. She allowed me to groom her with a glove that has a rubber side. She enjoyed the petting, and buried her head in the crook of my elbow as if she just wanted to forget where she was, and if she didn't see it, maybe it was a bad dream. I think she would have stayed in my arms indefinitely if I had more time.

Lewis spent time playing with the kitties that  were more outgoing. He managed to give every cat in the 3 suites at least a few minutes. I also met another volunteer who is willing to coordinate efforts with me in regard to the shy kitties. I am so loving the experience of comforting these little underdogs (or undercats as the case may be). I am also enjoying making new friends who share my values regarding animals. I love that  I have the time to share myself with these shy shelter kitties

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Cats will get equal time with trainers at Capital Area Humane Society

Like most shelters CAHS is over filled and understaffed. The staff and volunteers work very hard but at the end of the day there is just not enough time to work with each animal each day. That is where the volunteers become a key part of the shelter dynamic. Typically in shelters dogs get the majority of rehab because there is always the underlying fear of dog bites. Dogs at the shelter are involved in behavior training, and many volunteers come in each day to walk dog on the nice trail out behind the building. The goal is for each dog to get walked 3 times a day and there is a system to indicate when you have walked a dog that involves putting a card with a 1,2, or 3 on the cage door. It is an awesome program that gives the dogs at least some normalcy, and really helps dogs become more desirable as adopties. Many dogs move in and out of the shelter rather quickly in this system.

Cats mean while often linger for weeks on end, sometimes months. There is a definite over fill in the cattery, always. Often when people come in to look for a cat they are overwhelmed with how many there are and have such a difficult time figuring out which cat will be a good match for their house, that some times they leave with out anyone. CAHS recognised this as an area of concern and has taken a step to help cat adopters narrow down which kitties might be a good match for them.

Yesterday I was trained in a program that evaluates a cat's personality. Each kitty will now get a personality evaluation that will result in a color coded card being placed on the cage front or on their spec card in the cat suites. When potential cat adopters come in they will be given a survey to evaluate what type of kitty they are looking for. The survey will produce a color ticket for them to bring into the cattery. They can then look for the cards that match their color and thus narrow down Their  choices to say 10 kitties rather than trying to look at 50. This program has shown good results in other shelters and we have high hopes for it at CAHS. I will be one of the cat evaluators which I am very pleased about.

I am also helping to start an intervention program for the very shy kitties who hide, or are afraid. They have very little chance of being adopted if they are crouched in the corner while other kitties are interacting with visitors  trying to schmooze their way out of the shelter.

Here is one kitty that I have taken on as a project along with another volunteer. I will document progress and what we do as her program evolves. Like many shelter cats she is clearly terrified and has zero chance of being adopted at this point. She was looking like this just getting her picture snapped.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

More dog training at the shelter-Comedy and insight

Yesterday I went for the next phase of clicker training at our local shelter. We started with a dog named Augustus who has had a few weeks of training. Augustus is a  large pitbull/terrier mix with some kind of brindle marble coat. Just a beautiful dog who loved the attention of the six ladies in the room. We took turns practicing the commands sit, lay down, and stay wait while opening a door. Next we moved on to crate training. The idea is to reward the dog for going into his crate so that he would view it as a positive friendly place to be. Well, as dogs often do, Augustus decide to clown around a bit. When the trainer moved toward the crate, Augustus decided he would take a leap and jumped up on top of the crate. We all howled with laughter and he beamed setting up there wagging his tail with the pride of a performer who just nailed a good punch line. Of coarse August immediatly picked up on the laughter and jumped down and back up 3 or 4 times before we could contain ourselves enough to redirect him.

Once Augustus had trained us on the basics, we brought in a dog who had not received any training. Duke is a mastif chow mix large enough to drag me across the floor with my feet skidding, and he did. LOL. Much to my amazement within only a few minutes this smart boy was getting the basic commands about 90% of the time. Remember this was his first training session. As I worked with Duke I was taken by the ease of trainning and what a shame it is that the owners who surrendered him did not take advantage of the free training that would have enabled them to keep this dog who came in looking buck A wild. I have no doubt that both of these dogs will make fabulous companions for the right owner who is willing to spend the training time, which from what I have seen so far, can actually be very minimal.


I have to add the joy and gratification I feel after being privileged to behavior train these pooches keeps a smile on my face for hours after I leave the shelter. I think I am benefiting as much as the dogs.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Happy news

Here is some good news. The two kitties that Lewis and I worked with last week have both been adopted.
The next three days we will be in training. Two more involving dogs and then Saturday we begin training on how to evaluate a cat. I can't wait.

The other big news is that we may have found a property for the Downsy Dude Rescue Ranch. Miss Ashley will be seeing in on Monday. I will post it if it looks like we found the right spot. Wish us luck!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Cats know what time it is

People who know me know that I am a morning person. I love to get up while it is still dark, check out the moon and watch the sun rise. Generally, I am up by 5am. Heaven for bid I sleep longer than that! At least according to my cats. Every morning I wake up to 2 of them setting on my bed waiting for any indication that I may be waking. For example, one of them can detect a blink. And the moment it happens she literally leaps for joy, usually from some where by my feet to the top of the bed where my head is. This is the signal for her sister to start parading like a tight rope walker on the wooden headboard next to my pillow. This of coarse causes just enough worry, about an accidental slip onto my head with toe nails as a catching  tool, to rouse me. By now they have me aroused enough to speak, trying to break the circus clown of her act.  I might say something like "stop that!," which brings a third kitty zooming into the room with the zeal of a lotto winner. What's the prize? Breakfast.

The next event in the house is a procession to  the kitchen with all motors buzzing and plenty of drive by lovings on my ankles while trying to navigate sleepily in the dark. My only hope of declinging them is to bust out a can of cat food and divvy it up. Only then do I get to have my coffee in peace. Oh yes, cats can tell time!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Lewis-finding more of his Down's syndrome gifts in volunteer work at the animal shelter

I love Wednesdays. Wednesdays have always been the day that Lewis and I tweaked out of my busy schedule to make a committed effort to spend good quality time together. I learned raising two kids that time goes by in a flash and we must cherish the time we have. Often we would struggle with what to do on our Wednesday outings. We generally looked for free or low cost stuff to do, just because budget required it.  Now we are spending time volunteering at the animal shelter every Wednesday.

It is so wonderful to see the spark light up in Lew's eyes when Wednesdays come. He emerges from his room proudly sporting his T-shirt that says Volunteer on it. The anticipation that is apparent in his demeanor is so beautiful. He can't wait to get  to the shelter to give of himself to cast away animals.

Down's people often do not have the part of our personalities that cast judgement. He is the most accepting and forgiving person I have ever met. He can work with animals that others may avoid because of the way they look. Often shelter cats, for example, come in with issues that have made them loose patches of hair or even have wounds. Many would avoid the animals with the worst issues, but not Lewis. He goes in every week and seeks out who seems to be in the worst shape. He spends time with those animals before he goes on to play with the cute kitties etc...  If a kitty growls at him or another animal, he simply states, "this one is a little grumpy" and carries on. He knows the growl does not belong to him. Brilliant compared to the rest of us LOL. Just another example of how a Down's syndrome guy can teach the rest of us. So often I aspire to be more like him.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

3 legged dog becomes therapy dog

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nbc-news/46070947#46070947


Here is a very sweet clip I found on MSN- I love a happy ending! I will warn you the first clip is a bit sad, but look what happened with a little TLC.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Animal behavior training success

Those of you who have been following  this blog know that we have been involved in clicker training at our local shelter. We have had very little training but are already making progress in upgrading the adaptability of cast away animals. Lewis and I have taught a very scraggly cat to give high fives with very little effort. I have asked that  this talent be added to the card that is posted on the cat's cage so that those looking for a new kitty will at least pause long enough to give this kitty a chance at stealing someones heart. This particular kitty came from a home that had several animals removed for sevier neglect. She is still under wiegth and is just now growing back the fur she lost due to malnutrition.

Now, there are others who are more advanced in their training. We saw  a demonstration of just how effective this training can be when were asked to step in and observe a pit bull who has been in clicker training. This pit bull was surrendered to the pound for being unmanageable. What I observed brought tears of joy to my eyes.

This pit bull named Diesel (for a reason LOL) was strutting proudly around the room doing tricks that he had learned through clicker training. He first went to just about everyone in the room and sat quietly at their feet gazing into their eyes. One thing we teach dogs is to keep all four feet on the ground and to look at the trainer. This dog was so smart he figured out that he could get a treat from doing it for every person available LOL. When he was done with the people, he moved on and self initiated going into a crate for a treat, then coming back out and shutting the door with his nose for another treat. He proudly looked around the room and I am sure he felt the joy that was on all our faces. He beamed with pride and confidence. Next he went to a desk in the room and was nosing the drawer. The trainer opened the drawer and he promptly closed it with his nose, sat back and gazed eagerly at his trainer waiting for his treat reward with his tail wagging really fast. Just adorable!

This dog has gone from being a cast away due to poor behavior habits to being able to figure out how to self initiate positive feedback. I am sure that he will be adopted and make  wonderful pet for some lucky person. This is a perfect example of positive animal behavior training success.