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February 2010 |
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Dear Friends,
A happy ending to
the sad story of our “Max Brown” in above
picture! No, our Shelter is not equipped with
couches; our pooches do have to find a home of
their own in order to have THAT comfort. And Max
Brown did just that! He was adopted in January,
and his new family wrote the following:
“Just a few pics of
Max. We love him and he loves us. He has
adjusted to us very well. He loves our son
Jamie. We tried to make him a bed, but that
didn’t happen. He went right to sleep with Jamie
in his bedroom. He is eating well and loves to
play in the snow with Lacey and her dad Jamie.
He does all his duties outside and is just a
wonderful dog. I know we were trying to fill a
void by getting Max, but he has a personality
all his own. Max will never replace Molly, and
that’s ok. She was one of a kind, and we hope we
have Max as long as we had Molly. We thank you
all for doing what you do to save those unwanted
animals by giving them a chance to have a happy
life with a loving family. God bless you All . .
.”
Wow. We were
tickled to receive this letter!
Jim and I and our
two dogs are back home from Florida. It was a
rather weird work-vacation: it was cold. The
only thing missing from home was the snow. Jim
did not get to do much fishing because of the
water temperature, which had dropped to 52
degrees. It was horrible to walk on the beach
and see an unbelievable amount of huge fish
lying on the beach, all dead from the cold! I
found huge shells with the remains of hermit
crabs; beautiful crabs that also died from being
too cold. It was very sad. When we went for
rides we saw large fields with tomatoes plants,
squash and other veggies, totally black, all
dead.
The cold weather
played havoc at the Shelter too: Two days after
we came back from Florida, Rebecca called,
telling us she had no water anywhere in the
kennel or her house. Frozen lines? A broken pump
100 feet down in the well? That would have been
terrible! So once again Jim saddled his horses
and drove to the Shelter. We lucked out: the
pump was fine, only the pressure pump- an
electrical part had to be replaced.
And since the good
and bad things always arrive in threes, there
was another nice letter waiting for us when we
came back: |
“To Everyone at
Charley’s Strays:
I adopted Chester
around this time last year. I wanted to let you
know how well he is doing. His new name is Jesse
and he has gained about 10 lbs since coming
home. He has become a completely different dog.
At first, he did not know what the word “treat”
meant or how to play with dog toys. Since then,
he has learned, and even plays with other dogs
and he definitely knows what the word “treat”
means! He has certainly come out of his shell
and has turned out to be a wonderful addition to
the family. Jesse is always following me around
and constantly has a warm couch or even bed
available to him. Thank you so much for bringing
him into my life!”
When I read letters
like this I probably have this big goofy grin on
my face, feeling just plain GOOD!
And another one, I
promise this is the last one, and it’s short,
too:
“Dear Rebecca –
Belle is wonderful and she fits in like she has
lived here all her life. Thank you so much!”
One of our friends,
Susanna, who runs “Dogs Deserve Better” also a
animal rescue in the southern part of Maine,
came up to take our dog Hunter to people she
knows, foster parents. Hopefully he will find
the right home too. Thank you Susanna, for
caring!
So, as you can see;
we are placing dogs, but not much luck with the
cats. But if you think our Shelter is on its way
to get empty – no way. As soon as one is gone,
another one drops in. Ted’s vet called again,
telling him that he had a dog, which was
supposed to be euthanized due to having a run-in
for the third time in one year with a porcupine.
The vet knew the dog, but only for removing the
needles – the dog had never been there for
shots, check-ups or anything. Well, Ted went
there to talk to the owner, trying to convince
her that she should keep the dog, if necessary
we would come up with the money for the vet bill
since she said she had no way paying for it. But
she would not hear of it; she finally just
walked out of the clinic. So…the dog, a yellow
lab/hound/ and God know what else came to the
Shelter. Maybe by next month I will have some
pictures of her. Of course she needs to be
spayed before we can find a home. “Needles” to
say that was not done by her previous owner,
either. |
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Taking Sammy to the Vet
By Rebecca
Sammy, our American
Eskimo dog who’s been with us for years, is still so
wary no one can pet him, though once in a while
he’ll sniff or nudge me. So when he went off his
food, and then started having spells of panting and
shaking, we had a problem. I finally called the
vet’s office and said, “I need an appointment for
this dog I can’t touch.” When the tech asked how I
planned to get him to the office, I replied, “I have
no idea.”
On the day, I drove my
car inside the fenced yard hours before the
appointment time, left the door open and let Sammy
into the yard to run. He showed no interest in the
car. After half an hour I brought his friend Dante
out to join him. Dante immediately hopped into the
car, and Sammy followed him! I slammed the door,
shutting both dogs in the car. When Dante moved to
the front seat while Sammy explored the backseat, I
quickly pulled Dante out and led him back into the
kennel. Sammy stayed in the backseat, as far from
me as possible, while I got behind the wheel and
drove to Waterville.
At the vet’s, I was
able to lasso Sammy with the rope I brought. He was
glad to get out of the car, but not happy when he
realized he and I were attached. The only way to
move him was to pull him away from wherever I wanted
him to go; he reacted by going the opposite
direction. Even that didn’t work at the office
door, where he froze and refused to move at all. So
I picked him up and carried him over the threshold,
to our mutual astonishment.
When it was our turn to
see Dr. Slack, I maneuvered Sammy into the exam
room. But he was having nothing to do with the
doctor – backed into a corner, he barked, screamed
and snapped. When we couldn’t get any kind of
muzzle on, Dr. Slack went for an inject able
anesthesia. He held one hand above Sammy’s head and
when Sammy leapt for it slapped the needle into his
hip with the other hand. Five minutes, he said, and
Sammy would be out cold. |
We went back to the
waiting room, where Sammy paced. Five minutes. Ten
minutes. Dr. Slack looked out. “Not yet,” I said.
Twenty minutes. Half an hour. Sammy was doing the
drunken walk, but he was still walking. Dr. Slack
didn’t dare give another injection – Sammy already
had a dose that should knock out a German shepherd,
he said.
Three-quarters of an
hour and we gave up. I led Sammy out to the car,
which he was happy to jump into this time. On the
way home he sat upright in the back seat, eyes
half-closed, weaving from side to side, fighting to
stay awake.
By this time I was
starving, so I stopped at a store a mile or so from
the kennel and picked up a pizza. Sammy paid no
attention as I got out of the car. But when I got
back in and put a hot ham and mushroom pizza on the
passenger seat, Sammy came alive. This dog that
hates being touched dived over the seat, between the
seats, around the driver’s seat, ignoring my pushing
him back, determined to get that pizza. When we got
back to the kennel it was too easy to get him out of
the car and into his pen: he followed the pizza. As
I closed the pen gate, I broke off a bite for him.
P. S. Even though Dr.
Slack couldn’t even examine Sammy, since the trip to
the vet he’s been eating better and the shaking and
panting have abated. It must have been the pizza!
(Note from Gabriele:
maybe instead of asking for chewie-donations we
should be asking for Pizza donations??!!)
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CAT REPORT February 2009
Sorry about leaving
you in November with the cliffhanger about Lisa
being very sick. She recovered as mysteriously
and almost as rapidly as she’d fallen ill, with
no veterinary intervention. I spent lots of
time coaxing her to eat a variety of foods, both
human and cat, and made sure she had peace and
quiet, and she’s back to normal.
She and Pooh
continue to be well satisfied living in the area
that includes my bedroom, to which I moved them
last summer. They still won’t sleep on the bed
with me at night, but during the day I often
find one or both curled up there. Two cats I
took in from other people are with them.
Elvira is deaf and not friendly with me or other
cats, so she and Pooh and Lisa ignore each
other. Milo and Pooh are good friends,
frequently cuddling together and washing each
other. Lisa has reservations about Milo; he’s
chased her a couple times, playfully, but she
wasn’t sure how to take it. Sometimes she
avoids him; sometimes Lisa, Pooh and Milo are
all on the bed.
Since I last wrote
several other cats, including Purina/Meg and
some that I’m fostering for other rescuers, have
done the same thing Lisa did, just stopped
eating. Most I could take to the vet without
risking scaring them until they were even worse
off. |
They had the usual
variety of tests, with uniformly normal results
(which was reassuring, but not helpful), and
each of them recovered on his or her own, with
some special meals and for one a week or so in
segregation so she could eat as often as she
pleased. I have no idea what it was all about;
the cats were different ages and sexes, in
different rooms, some of them on slightly
different diets. Right now – I’m knocking on
wood – everyone seems to be eating and acting
normally.
And a reminder for
the Maine taxpayers who get this newsletter:
when you file your state income tax, please add
a few dollars for the companion animal
sterilization fund, number 7 on the list of
optional check offs. As usual, the demand for
assistance is greater than the supply of money.
You can also support state animal welfare
programs by buying the animal welfare license
plate that I hope you’ve been seeing on the
streets.
The different kinds
of food and treats several people sent the cats
for Christmas were helpful with the invalids and
have been enjoyed by all. They’re almost gone
now, though I’ve been rationing them to make
them last longer. This week Karen’s friend Jane
in Alaska, who adopted Lisa and Pooh’s sister
and made her an Artic cat, sent a Valentine’s
Day box full of Alaskan catnip, so everyone will
have extra entertainment for a while. I’ve also
been pleased to get food from Olivia Charles
(she’s a very nice cat whose people tell me she
goes shopping almost every week to buy canned
food for my cats), Karen, Stephanie and Cris and
coupons from Suzanne Belisle, Iris Marinello,
Teresa Parent, Irma Simon and Judy Smith. Many
thanks to all of you, from me and the cats.
An update:
you’ll remember last fall’s fund-raiser for our
friends Laurie and Dave Mountain that helped
them buy the building in which they run their
thrift shop and animal rescue operation: they’re
doing very well. A mutual friend who went to
see them a week or so ago says the shop has lots
of great stuff. Laurie emails once in a while –
in her spare time –
to let me know she’s finding good homes for
multitudes of cats and kittens (and occasionally
dogs, ducks and goodness know what else).
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So, as you can
see; we are placing dogs, but not much luck
with the cats. But if you think our Shelter
is on its way to get empty – no way. As soon
as one is gone, another one drops in. Ted’s
vet called again, telling him that he had a
dog, which was supposed to be euthanized due
to having a run-in for the third time in one
year with a porcupine. The vet knew the dog,
but only for removing the needles – the dog
had never been there for shots, check-ups or
anything. Well, Ted went there to talk to
the owner, trying to convince her that she
should keep the dog, if necessary we would
come up with the money for the vet bill
since she said she had no way paying for it.
But she would not hear of it; she finally
just walked out of the clinic. So the dog, a
yellow lab/hound/ and God know what else
came to the Shelter. Maybe by next month I
will have some pictures of her. Of course
she needs to be spayed before we can find a
home. “Needles” to say that was not done by
her previous owner, either.
Now to the supporters of
Charley’s Strays:
A huge Thank you
to all of the following people,
who helped our animals so much again through
these past three months. If you wonder why there
are so many names in the following columns. I
can explain: It’s from December through now.
Having so many donors in one month is, well,
just wishful thinking.
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Ann Sargent, Chestnut Hill
Anne Tappan, Cambridge
Arlene Hayes, Reading
David Hingston, Chelmsford
Denise Bolieu, Monmouth
Dorothy D’Alessandro, Oss.
Dorothy Eckstein, Medford
Doug Robertson, Dennis
Emilie Jorgensen, E.Boston
G&R Welch, Stonington
Iris Martinello, Tewksbury
Irma Simon, S.China
J Yellow Robe, Old Town
Jean Catignani, Conway
Jean Tillson, Franklin
Jean Williams, Winslow
Joan Ryan, New Bedford
Joe D’Alessandro, Tuftonboro
Jon & Barb Anderson, Augusta
Joseph Blake, New Bedford
Josephine Ford, Holden |
Josephine Smith, Woburn
Judy & Al Smith, Belmont
Judy Rohweder, Northport
Barbara Askew,
Quincy
Barbara Poulin,
Oakland
Betsy Anderson,
Framingham
Katie Clegg,
Biddeford
Kelli Ruggere,
Spencer
Laureen Alden,
Stonington
Linda Merriam,
Dresden
Linda Scott,
Beverly
Lisa D’Alessandro,
Raymond
Lorena & Harry
Clark, Beverly
Lynn Frischmann,
Los Gatos
Manuel German,
Reading
Marcia Smith,
Bucksport
Marian Delarue,
Woburn
Marie O’Brien,
Pawtucket
Mark Resendes, Revere
Marlene Kaplan,
Melrose
Mary Jane Gorton,
Floral City
Mary Klayda,
Winchester
Mildred Walker,
Presque Isle |
Carole Parker,
Stoughton
Cindy Houston,
Woburn
Cristine Cardello,
Melrose
Melody Lavers,
Pownal
Nancy Capone,
Wakefield
Nancy Brown,
Waltham
Pat Thain, Dracut
R.D. Bournival,
Nashua
Robert Hull,
Lawrence
Rust Pappathanasi,
Swampscott
Ruth Giusti,
Titusville
Sandra Nicholson,
Beverly
Somers Foundation
Susan Borsic,
Woburn
The Bachrachs,
Petersham
Victoria Lee,
Stetson
Thank you! |
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A month before we
went to Florida, our own dog, Casper, had to
have more surgery: His body had rejected his
skin transplant. One of the vet-techs at the
clinic fell in love with him and sent me some
photos of him while he was recuperating at the
clinic. So as a “thank-you” I had mailed her my
book, the one about Charley’s Strays. A couple
of weeks later we received a $200 check from the
staff and the doctors of the Lucerne Veterinary
Clinic as a donation to Charley’s Strays! Again
we were tickled.
We also received a
donation in memory of Harry Clark, Sr. from
Linda Scott. Jean Tillson, our artist whom some
of you met at the fundraiser. [She paints
beautiful animal-portraits] has a husband, who
has a piggybank, who killed the poor thing and
gave all the coins in its belly to Charley’s
Strays. A big hug to Jean's hubby! And a check
was mailed to us from Barbara Poulin in memory
of Bernard Thomas. Thank you so much!
Since I still have
some space left – a whole page, front and back,
soI will give you something to laugh about!
Please read below.
Gabriele, Karen, Betty, Ted, Mary and Jim
One day an old
German shepherd
starts chasing rabbits and before long,
discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he
notices a panther heading rapidly in his
direction with the intention of having lunch.
The old German shepherd thinks,
'Oh, oh! I'm in deep doo-doo now!' Noticing some
bones on the ground close by, he immediately
settles down to chew on the bones with his back
to the approaching cat. Just as the panther is
about to leap, the old German shepherd exclaims
loudly, 'Boy, that was one delicious panther! I
wonder, if there are any more around here?'
Hearing
this, the young panther halts his attack in
mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and
he slinks away into the trees. 'Whew!' says the
panther, 'That was close! That old German
shepherd nearly had me!'
Meanwhile, a squirrel that had
been watching the whole scene from a nearby
tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good
use and trade it for protection from the
panther. So, off he goes.
The squirrel soon catches up with
the panther, spills the beans and strikes a deal
for himself with the panther.
The young panther is furious at
being made a fool of and says, 'Here, squirrel,
hop on my back and see what's going to happen to
that conniving canine!
Now, the old German Shepherd sees
the panther coming with the squirrel on his back
and thinks, 'What am I going to do now?', but
instead of running, the dog sits down with his
back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen
them yet, and just when they get close enough to
hear, the old German Shepherd says...
'Where's that squirrel? I sent
him off an hour ago to bring me another panther!
Moral of this story
. . .
Don't mess with the old dogs: Age
and skill will always overcome youth and
treachery!
BS and brilliance only come with
age and experience. |
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