Grateful Snuggles for Kind Kids!
American Humane is having a "Be Kind to Animals" kid contest to promote Be Kind to Animals Week, May 6-12, 2007, and recognize the kids that are leading the next generation in taking care of animals. When this was brought to my attention, N. and I decided that the perfect person to nominate is the son of one of our longest running fosters. Here is the nomination that was sent in today for him:
"The stereotype of 12 year old boys today is not R.K., but I wish it were. R., along with his mom J. and the rest of the K. crew, has fostered over 150 kittens for the East Bay SPCA, along with their 100th kitten, Century. When kittens are sick, it is R. who holds them as they get medicine; when they need a bath, R. makes sure they are warm and dry off fast; when they crash all of the sudden, it is R. of everyone in the house who holds them to give them comfort and solace as they pass. Under-socialized kittens start in R.’s room first because he has a special way with them, and at the rest home where he volunteers with his mom and sister A., R. visits with the house cat, much to the amusement of the residents. One of his most important contributions is with neighborhood kids: R. explains proper kitten handling, and educates them about animals. R. is a wonderful, compassionate kid who always knows how to quiet down and be gentle with his foster animals, and in return they give him grateful snuggles knowing he has saved their life."
If you know any kids that should be reconized for their kindness to animals, please go to
Americanhumane.org and nominate them! They are the ones who will be ensuring the welfare of homeless animals in 30 years, and we need to show everyone how we appreciate their efforts!
Camilla Rose...
Here are some photos of that sweet spotty girl and Chris.
Spotting my Soul Mate
You never know what you are going to get. Almost two months ago, I adopted a dog from here that most people wouldn't have adopted. Camilla Rose was an older Dalmatian who had already been diagnosed with cancer. She was more than 30 pounds overweight, she had some very odd habits around eating strange things, and she was really quite a couch potato. When I heard she not going to be adoptable due to her medical issues, it was not really much of a question as to where she was going to end up. I took her home that night and adopted her at 9 am the next morning. We had an excellent time together. We took hikes, put her on a diet (she lost 22 pounds!), she got lots of love and skritches, and she started getting better. For a while there my sweet Camilla learned how to play again. Maybe it was my younger dogs that brought it out, or maybe it was just being in a home and knowing she never had to have puppies or scrounge for trash again. Camilla's favorite pastime was following me around, tail constantly wagging, and staring lovingly at me. I think she worshipped me as much as I delighted in her.
Last week, Camilla was fine. A few days ago, she got sick very suddenly, and we had to make the decision to put her to sleep. As of yesterday morning, I am back to having two dogs. Time goes so quickly, and circumstances change just as quickly. I, of the young and agile herding dogs, never thought I'd own an older, overweight, silly spotty girl. Thousands of dogs come through this shelter, and I could have had my pick of any of the younger, stronger, better looking ones, but somehow I knew THIS one was the one for me. Go figure. While I am very very sad still that she is not with me any more, I am pleased as punch that we found each other just in time. Sometimes dogs and people are made for each other, regardless of what other people think of that bond. I didn't set myself up for disappointment, I set myself up for love.
I know that there are dogs in this shelter and in other shelters that people overlook because of how they look, because of their age, because of a particular behavior trait that might be annoying. I would remind you that we are not always in our best packages, either. Sometimes, it is that dog that has been here a long time, or that dog that is not perfectly fit in body that has the soul we can most easily connect with. Look at Lucca and Destiny and Miracle. Lucca is an absolute clown and has the funniest facial expressions I have ever seen in a dog. Lucca gets along well with other dogs, and has has become somewhat of a legend around the shelter. Destiny is incredibly well trained, easy to get along with, and is beautiful, besides. Miracle not only has a great rescue story, but also is super cute and full of energy, even if he is a senior dog. Consider giving one of these ones a home. You never know what you are going to get.
Oakland Adoption Staff Talent!
Today is Staff Appreciation Day! In the Oakland Adoption Gallery we put together a little staff photo show. I can't tell you how amazing the 24 entries were! We wanted to put these photos to the test and invited some guest judges to determine the best shots. Our guest judges were members of the photography club at the East Oakland Youth Development Center here in our community. Mr. B and the four young men who came to our show have all been taking photos and learning about photography for awhile now. They took what they are learning about photography and then paired with their own unique perspectives on our photos made their decisions.
Below are listed some of the winners. Thank you Mr B., A., J., B. and J. for you efforts!
Ziggy Stardust taken by Sarah W. won first place for both Best Dog Photo and Best Technique!
Lucca taken by Sarah W. won for best adoption appeal.
Madeline taken by Debe B. gets the prize for best cat photo.
Pretty talented bunch of dedicated staff....
443
Just a quick update:
443 days that
Sugarfoot was in the care of the East Bay SPCA. And now she's been adopted! Hooray!
Also today, Josef, Julia, and Taylor were adopted, cats that have not been here that long. Not a bad day!
Spay Day Meets The Goal Plus Four!
We had a very successful spay day yesterday at our Tri Valley Facility. We spayed and neutered 104 animals, we admitted 106 animals (1 was previously spayed, one was a previously neutered male cat )
21 Canine spays
18 Canine neuters
29 Feline spays
36 Feline Neuters
This day would not have been successful without all the teamwork from our staff and all the volunteers helping out. Thank you to all the spay and neuter staff, everyone worked a very long and hard day. K, G, L, T, and J all worked so hard at making sure they had animals prepped and ready for the doctors. Dr. U. from Bishops Ranch worked with us yesterday and he has commented numerous times on what a well run center we have and what great team we have in place.
Special thanks to Dr. S. for coming in on her day off to help me set up and getting all those surgeries completed; H for calculating and keeping all those drugs in order; K, M and Afor all your help at the front desk; E for working with us all day and to R for helping transport and set up all the equipment.
JOB WELL DONE! WAY TO GO ONE AND ALL! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK!
Posted on behalf of Amity M.
American Humane is having a "Be Kind to Animals" kid contest to promote Be Kind to Animals Week, May 6-12, 2007, and recognize the kids that are leading the next generation in taking care of animals. When this was brought to my attention, N. and I decided that the perfect person to nominate is the son of one of our longest running fosters. Here is the nomination that was sent in today for him:
