“Less Adoptable” Pets?
WHAT MAKES A PET “LESS ADOPTABLE?”
“Less adoptable” pets, according to Petfinder.com‘s Betsy Saul and Jane Harrell, are those animals often overlooked when it comes to pet adoption. Reasons range from the color of an animal’s fur to unfair breed stereotypes and even easy-to-manage health issues. That’s why, all this week (September 17-25), Petfinder is promoting “less adoptable” pets, shedding light on those who are often overlooked so that they, too, can find loving homes.
The message is clear. Each orphaned animal is chock-full of unconditional love, regardless of the body they’re wrapped in. To this, I can personally attest since falling in love with Bill.
Could you see yourself loving an animal like him?
BIG BILL’S NEAR MISS
An animal lover with hope in the form of a bright, red leash walked through the dimly lit kill shelter. Bill’s brown eyes stared blankly through the chain-link pen. Surrendered anonymously, Bill was labeled a stray, stuck in a cage, and scheduled to die. But Bill wasn’t going to die this week. Bill’s kennel opened, that red leash hooked into his collar, and he was led into the light of day once more.
That animal lover was a volunteer in my husband Tim’s dog adoption program.
(Tim is my husband now but, back then, we had just met.)
Fido and Wino’s R.O.A.R. Squad
WHAT’S A R.O.A.R. SQUAD
R.O.A.R. stands for Rescue Owners Are Rockin and this Squad is being assembled by Shauna Stewart from Fido and Wino, a blog where fine dogs (and fine wine) are very much appreciated. “Our goal is to make having a rescue animal THE coolest thing around. Ya game? Perfect! We’d love to have you!”
WHY THE R.O.A.R. SQUAD?
Shauna’s inspiration for this project stems from the love she has for her own rescue dog, the lovely Miss Kayloo, as well as her deep concern for the 6-8 million animals housed in US shelters every year, as estimated by the US Humane Society.
Guest Post: Choosing a Rescue Group
My first guest post, “Choosing a Rescue Group” is live at MoxiePaws, a wonderful pet blog hosted by Christine Koretz.
Head on over for a glimpse at the pre- adoption process. This is how we found a perfect match, not only between us and our new cats, but between us and our contractual responsibilities.
Newfoundland Dog Rescues New Owners
March 7th, 2009: The Day Our Lives Changed for the Better
But prior to that…
TRAGEDY STRIKES
Just over a year ago, Tim and I were deeply grieving the loss of two beloved family members.
Bill, our adopted foster, had been with us for 5 years. On a Sunday morning like so many others, we had a game of tug-of-war in the living room and ate a glorious breakfast. That’s when an undetected abdominal mass ruptured and Bill went immediately into shock. We rushed him to the vet within 15 minutes but, during emergency surgery, a blood clot traveled to his main artery and he was gone.
On February 14th, we also said good-bye to Tim’s dog, Jack. Jack had sucessfully battled cancer, extending his life 13 good months until there was no more fight left in him. Jack had been with Tim (and Tim’s ex, Stacy, who managed his cancer care) for 14 years. It was an awful beginning to 2009.
Fostered, Adopted, Rescued
EMMETT: FINALLY ADOPTED
On January 23rd, Tim and I adopted Emmett, our foster dog of 7 months. If you’ve been following along, I’m sure you think “It’s about time!” I happen to agree.
Not only has Emmett blossomed into an affectionate, well behaved and happy pup with us, but he and Shamus, our Newfoundland, are the best of inseparable friends. Long before Tim and I fully committed to keeping Emmett, the dogs demonstrated loud and clear what they wanted – to be together always. See for yourself in the video I shot two weeks prior to signing the paperwork.
DOG RESCUE: FOR BETTER OR WORSE
Of course, dog rescue is a “for-better-or-for-worse” proposition. Unfortunately, when Emmett’s adoption plan went into action, for worse was the greater part of our reasoning.
Emmett’s behavior had unexplainably shifted over the course of several days. He watched out of the corner of his eye as we passed him in his bed. Nights became unsettling for him and he walked through the dark with his back hunched like a cat. His fur would stand on end, even while his tail wagged, and he’d bark at nothing in particular in an empty room. Something was very wrong. Emmett’s trust in the safety of his environment had waned. Tim and I felt like we failed, like Emmett was regressing. We needed answers.
WHERE TO GO FROM HERE?
Breaking the situation down into manageable parts, we first filled out the adoption contract to proceed as a solid family unit. We have been Emmett’s family, the only long-term support he has ever known, and he needed to feel that he belonged with us no matter what. Next, in an effort to explain Emmett’s odd behavioral shift, we combed back through the previous week’s events hoping to uncover the mystery.
THE FORENSIC TIMELINE
About a month ago, Emmett’s foot pads had become deeply rutted and slightly discolored. He was placed on over-the-counter fish oil supplements based on a picture I brought to the vet. Concerned that there was no discernible change several weeks later, I took Emmett for a follow up exam.
Abhorring this visit after a previous bout with staples, Emmett pulled me back toward the car once we reached the front door. When we did finally get inside, he would not allow the techs to see his feet without significant coercion. Leaving with meds in hand, a precautionary measure to treat any possible issue with the least amount of stress to Emmett, we came home. Relieved to be back, Emmett bounced around as usual with Shamus.
One day later, Emmett’s behavior began to change but I couldn’t put my finger on what was happening. I wondered if stress from the vet visit had caused some previous insecurities to resurface. Two days later, Emmett grew more frenetic. Questions arose and we watched vigilantly. Taking stock of his environment, we noted that Emmett’s food had changed. The brand was the same but the flavor was new. Could this be an allergy? Was he was sick? In pain? Was there a tumor pressing on the behavioral center of his brain? The following day, Emmett’s personality deteriorated into a ball of nerves that could no longer be attributed to the dog we knew and loved. We called the vet to hurry him in for a full blood work-up and x-rays.
MYSTERY SOLVED
While the majority of veterinary journals make no mention of this, and the vet who originally treated our boy was unaware, another vet at our clinic knew of some rare, yet undesirable side effects associated with the medication Emmett was on. When his anti-yeast and ear meds were mixed with an antibiotic, she said it was possible that the drug or the combination of several had likely made Emmett “crazy.” There was no way of knowing if he was hallucinating or simply feeling anxious, but we took him off that questionable drug and one other immediately. We also returned to the original flavor of food to cover all bases. The following day, we had our Emmett back.
FOR THE BEST
While this wasn’t the most joyous or ideal way for Emmett’s adoption to come to fruition, we have no regrets. When push came to shove, we knew we belonged to Emmett and that he belonged to us – long before bureaucracy, semantics and a medical mystery entered the picture. I suppose, after dragging our feet in our formal commitment, the Universe whacked us hard over the head to remind us of our undeniable truth. We all belong together.
Firmly rooted in the commitment of our bond now (as I always was, eh-hem), we are certainly a merrier bunch for it.
Welcome home, Emmett.
We’ve always got your back.
Love,
Kim, Tim, Shamus and the birds
Foster or Adopt? The Moment of Truth
When the email arrived, Tim came away from his computer with such a sad face that I thought someone had died.
I was at the table writing holiday cards while festive music played softly in the background. Shamus, the Newf, was romping in the snow and Emmett, our foster of six months, was resting in his bed by the fire.
“Somebody is interested in Emmett,” Tim said.
I felt sick.
Foster a Pet for the Holidays
Foster A Lonely Pet for the Holidays – The Kick-Off
Being a foster mother to several dogs over the years (and keeping an eye on one now who enjoys dragging the Christmas tree skirt out through the dog door), I was happy to watch Hallmark’s Hall of Fame movie A Dog Named Christmas (airing on CBS Nov. 29) kick off the Foster A Lonely Pet for the Holidays program. The program, spearheaded by Petfinder.com, works with over 2000 shelters and rescue groups across North America. The aim is to ease the holiday burden on rescue organizations, to provide an animal with individual attention, and to offer families the experience of having a pet in their homes.
A Dog Named Christmas – The TV Movie
“A Dog Named Christmas,” based on Greg Kincaid’s novel, is a sweet holiday movie about Todd, a young man with a developmental disability who works to convince his family and community to join in the local animal shelter’s Foster a Dog for Christmas Program. The story focuses not only on how the family helps the dog, but even more-so on how the dog helps his new foster family. It is the latter that makes the dog named Christmas seem unrealistically independent and I find it important to point out one specific scene that concerns me.
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