Downsy Dude Rescue Ranch Project: September 2012

Monday, September 24, 2012

Free spay or neuter for cats

Please pass this forward to anyone who has a cat that needs this.

Did you know that two unaltered cats and their offspring can add up to the following statistics?

1st year =12
2nd year=66
3rd year=382
4th year=2,201
5th year=12,680

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Cat with a Crinkled ear

In June I discovered a frightened black cat hiding in the corner of one of the cat suites at the shelter. She was clearly terrified and was very shy. She resisted coaxing for a few weeks but each time I would go in, I would make a tiny bit of progress with her. She was eventually moved to an individual cage to see if this would decrease her stress. Well, it did reduce her stress but she continued to hide. This is the type of behavior that makes adoption very unlikely. In addition this kitty is named "Krinkle" because one of her hears is collapsed. Needless to say, she may not appear as cute to most people as some of the other kitties. She has, however, recently gotten over her hiding behavior. The the last few visits with her indicated that she was ready for adoption. She greeted me at the front of the cage and even flopped onto her back and purred as a stoked and doted on her. She has turned out to be just a little sweetheart now that she trusts people. She does still have one strike against her in regard to her adoption potential. That ear! For this reason Downsy Dude Rescue Ranch Project will be paying large portion of her adoption fee. She will be available for only 10% of the regular adoption fee.We are so thrilled that our project is beginning to able to afford to help in ways other than the volunteer hours we have been putting in.

If anyone knows a family in the Lansing area who would love a kitty with a "special ear". Please forward this information to them.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Tragety, Serendipity, and Love = A heart touched

As we were leaving the shelter today, we paused in the lobby to pet a lucky dog named Gus who was being adopted. His new owner's were setting in front of the desk filling out the paper work and telling a story of how they had just lost their beloved German Shepard to an illness that took it very suddenly. My hear ached at thought of it. We chatted a bit and I learned that they always had German shepards. They had actually come to the shelter to adopt one that was on the web site, but by the time they arrived someone else had adopted it. On the way out they noticed Gus, an Australian Shepard. As they filled out paper work, I could not help noticing that Gus was leaning on the leg of one of his new owners. In fact when I walked into the lobby I thought Gus was there dog and had come with them to the shelter. He seemed to know that these were "his people" that he had been waiting for.

I started thinking about what a lucky dog this was. If his owners had come earlier in the day, he would still be back in a cage waiting for somenone to notice him. If the new owners had not just lost a dog, he would not even have met these folks. In my mind, it kind of gave a sweet meaning to the death of the other dog, as sad as that was. So many times I have seen the universe work this way. There is always a gift in every tragedy, and I stood there looking at the threesome in awe.

I was so moved by the fact that these folks we so willing to love again so soon after their hearts were broken, and how Gus looked so happy to be going home. They said they had been told that Gus had live outside, .but at their house he would live inside. They live behind a big park were they planned to take him to play. The woman reached down and kissed the dog's back and said "we love you." My hear broke wide open and I cried in front of complete strangers.

What an upgrade for this dog, and what a demonstration of the fact that there are so many loving people in the world. Also a demonstration of how sometimes hard things turn out good. Not to mention the luck of being in the right place at the right time. This was true today for Gus, but it was also true for me. I got to see serendipty in action and was very touched by it.

That sweet kiss on the back of that shelter dog is something I will always remember.

Monday, September 3, 2012

192 shelter cats

Lewis and I have a goal of giving comfort and lap time to 300 shelter cats this year. Our list so far consists of 192. We spend time with kitties to make their wait for a home more bearable. Lewis likes the playful ones and I am a magnet for the fearful or hard to adopt ones. We both love what we are doing and look forward to each visit. The goal is to make the kitties look forward to human interaction. It makes them more likely to be adopted if they are friendly and engage with guests. Many of them have good social skills all ready and just want a comforting lap or a brushing and some love. Others need trust building and a patient trainer. Some kitties hate being there, but for many it is a step up from where they were when they were brought in.

Each week on our drive over we discuss who might still be there and who might have gotten lucky and went to there forever home. There is nothing more gratifying than discovering one of kitties on your list is not in there cage when you arrive. It means they have connected with a human in a positive way and been given a second chance for a free and happy life.

If you love animals please consider volunteering or donating to your local shelter. There is a cool dog walking program at Capital area Humane Society. After a short orientation you can walk a dog of your choice on a very nice trail out behind the facility. The program is so popular that they expect each caged dog to be walked 3 times a day. What a wonderful thing for the pups waiting to find their forever humans. The other great thing about being there is that you are surrounded by a small army of animal lovers.

We get way more out of it than we give, and it also demonstrates how one special needs guy can make a very positive impact on animals who are experiencing trauma. At the same time, Lewis' life is so enriched by the experience and he knows he is achieving something wonderful. This is the foundation of what Downsy Dude Rescue Ranch Project is all about.