July,  2007

Dear Friends:

Today I received a letter from an animal rescue organization asking for a donation. The letter had pictures of starved animals, animals with skin diseases, abused animals; enough to make ones stomach turn. We all know what’s going on out there, so why not put a cute or funny picture in a letter asking for donations? I would much rather have you smile when you read this letter than feel lousy about humanity for the rest of the day.

It has been a hectic month at the home front in Limestone. Jim and I replaced the floors of three rooms. Lots of work, it took us two weeks, day after day until late at night, but it’s finally done and should last the rest of our lives.

We had to deal with a sick bear- Teddy, the black guy with the white bib who has been coming for his daily “bread” for eight years now. He seems to have mange. I checked up on the Internet, it seems that quite a few black bears come down with this terrible skin disease, and if not treated, it can be deadly. We also have had a “mangy” fox hanging around several times

over past years. It’s always deadly for them. Well, knowing Teddy usually comes every day, I figured it would not be too hard to lace his food with medication; but getting the stuff was a big problem. The vet would not prescribe it. I am fairly sure that a vet needs a wildlife license to do so for one, and secondly, needs to see the animal. I don’t think Teddy would have put his 400-pound bulk in the back of my car and taking a drive to the vet. I contacted several wildlife rehabs, as far away as Idaho. They were all very helpful in suggesting what to use, and how to administer it, but again, no way in getting a hold of it.

Finally a local wildlife rehab in Vasselboro came to our rescue. The owner told me what to get, called his vet about the dosage, and with the help of Ted, who picked it up for us in a farm shop, we could set out treating Teddy. It seems like cattle and pigs are treated with the same medication for worms and parasites. Teddy got three doses so far, once a week, only two to go. Hopefully he will stay here long enough; usually until the end of August, when he is so fat that he waddles away and gets ready to leave for his winter quarters.

It was also another hectic month at Charley’s Strays. The bad news: three more new dogs. They were pulled out of the nasty Shelter, whose owners decided that they were going on vacation, and everything had to go – one way or the other. Don’t ask what the other way means. One of the rescues is a cute little beagle boy, very small, and very sick. He has been in veterinary care from the time he came to us. He was totally dehydrated, bloody stool, and so on. He is now on a strict diet, seemed to have perked up for a while, but is a little worse again. “Bailey” has not even gotten his vaccinations yet, because he is so sick, and of course he has not been neutered. That’s still to be done too. Until we know for sure what’s wrong with him, he cannot be placed.

The other two dogs are brother and sister who are both very beautiful and very small Huskies- possible mixes, but I am not sure. I think they were just starved when they were small. Both are about a year old, one is a beautiful silver/gray, the other a tan with face markings like a raccoon, really beautiful looking dogs. Most likely they will be with us for a very long time, because they are so afraid of people, that we missed two vet-appointments because we could not catch them! I am glad that they can’t talk; chances are I would go shoot someone.

The good news is that one of our dogs, Lady, was placed with the gentleman who had adopted her son several months ago. Our volunteer Karen who is related to him, kept telling him how sad Lady was, and he took her without ever seeing her! Lady had come to our Shelter last year, has Lyme Disease. Her son, who came with her at the same time, had heartworms. The previous owner never cared for the poor animals in any way.

By the way – I made a mistake last month: Elli is not a golden retriever, but a yellow lab – there was a picture of this newcomer in last month’s newsletter, and I had gotten the breed wrong. But she definitely is a dog- I had that one right, at least.

More good news came in the form of Viola McDonald, who did her once-a-year inspection of the Shelter - sort of. She usually brings detergent, blankets, food, lots of stamps, and this time a check of $224.85 from her friend Marie Cerrie, who collected bottles and cans all year long. Marie picks them up on the roadside! Thank you Marie. Your hard-earned money will go towards the veterinary needs of Bailey the Shelter's new beagle.

The rest of the dogs are okay. Ben, the only one left from Charley’s time who came to live at the Shelter around 1993, is going blind. Ben seems to be content with life and with his roommate, Farrrah. Both Ted and I have been eyeing him to take home for the time he has left on earth, but Ted is gone most of the day and already has several dogs, and Ben goes totally wild when he sees my Nikki. It seems like he hates her for one reason or another. Ben is also afraid of Jim; he hides when he sees him. Maybe there is something about Jim, which reminds Ben of a bad experience in his early life. Believe me, dogs have a very good memory. Also taking him home means Farrrah would be alone, and she has been rooming with Ben for many years. So we will have to see what happens and play it by ear.

Other than that, as usual, we are busting out of our seams with dogs, and I hope that we can still place one or more before they have to be moved back into the buildings. Winter is not far off, but potential adopters seem to be living on another planet, light-years away.

So much for the Shelter news, now to the rest of Charley’s Strays happenings:

Our friend and supporter, Cindy Houston, will have her yearly Yard Sale on September 15th, to raise money for Charley’s Strays. Jackie Lowney, she's the lady who makes all the beautiful baskets for the fundraiser, will join her in her effort. Jackie and Cindy are still looking for nice, preferably new items for this sale, if you are in their area and bring some of your  “not needed things”, or just drop by and buy some of their items to support our animals, we would appreciate it very much! The date: September.15th, rain date is September. 16th, the place: 143 Winn Street in Woburn, Massachusetts. Thanks! The money these two ladies will raise is earmarked solely towards the oil bill for this winter.

CAT REPORT – August 2007

Another month with not much news; I’ve been worrying about hot weather and thyroids; the cats have not been worrying at all, lying around when it’s hot and racing around when it cools down a bit. I think their attitude is more sensible than mine.  J

I dealt with the hot weather by adding a second air conditioner for the downstairs room where Mr. Tom, Buddy and their friends live. The new one cost more than the one I put in upstairs for Lisa, Black Peter, Pooh and company, and it runs more noisily, to the cats’ initial alarm (Buddy stood at the far end of the room and yowled back at it), but it does keep the temperature down.

Of course, the weather cooled off two days after I had it put in – not that I’m complaining about being comfortable.

Thyroid tests are coming up the end of this week for Christopher, to see if he should go back on medication for hyperthyroidism, and for Buddy. Chris I think may be okay. As I wrote last month, he wasn’t gaining weight, though he acted well and ate normally, but now he feels solider.  He’s taken a dislike to my scales and wiggles so much that I can’t get accurate readings. Buddy, on the other hand, can’t lose weight, no matter how small his meals.  I finally asked if cats, like people, can be hypothyroid, and was told that it’s rare, but possible. So he’s getting checked, too. Since both of them are feeling well, they’re not going to be happy about being hauled off to the doctor. I wish there were some way to explain to cats the odd things people do to them.

Again a lot of people have sent me useful coupons, for which I’m grateful: Doris Lary, Roberta Chaves, P. A. Lenk, Teresa and family, and fellow rescuers Cathy and Jessica. Teresa’s son Brian cashed in his roadside bottle collection and donated the proceeds to our cats. And Olivia Charles continues to send canned food.  My thanks to all of our supporters, and I hope you’ve all had a good summer.

Andy & Harry Greene, Stonington

Beverly Maheu, China Vill.

Carole Parker, Stoughton

Cindy Houston, Woburn

Cristine Cardello, Melrose

Cynthia Shaughnessy, Woburn

Doris Dango, Melbourne

Doris Lary, Hartland

Dorothy D’Alessandro, Ossipee

Dorothy Eckstein, Medford

G & R Welch, Stonington

Harriet Snyder, Brockton

Inge Maiellano, Marblehead

Iris Martinello, Tewksbury

Irma Simon, S.China

Jackie Lowney, New Bedford

Jean & Ralph Catignani, Conway

Jim Lavita, Dennis

Joan Ryan, New Bedford

Joe D’Alessandro, Tuftonboro

John Caswell, Newport

John Walsh, Waterville

Jon & Barb Anderson, Augusta

Joseph Arouca, Ormond Beach

Joseph Blake, New Bedford

Joseph Kogut, Upton

Josephine Ford, Holden

Josephine Smith, Woburn

Judith Crosby, Belfast

Judy & Al Smith, Belmont

Judy Rohweder, Northport

Kathleen Hillman, Chelmsford

Linda Merriam, Dresden

Lisa D’Alessandro, Raymond

Lorena & Harry Clark, Beverly

Marcia Smith, Bucksport

Something to cheer you up:

PET RULES:

To be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - nose height. 

Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest. The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:

To all Non-Pet Owners Who Visit and Like to Complain About Our Pets:

1. They live here -- you don't.

2. If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture (That's why they call it "fur"niture.).

3. I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.

4. To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly. 

Wishing you a perfect month of September with lots of sunshine, stay healthy and happy.

Gabriele, Karen, Mary, Mike, Ted and Jim

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