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August 2008 |
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Dear Friends:
Rain, rain, go way; our dogs are growing webbed
feet. Karen, our volunteer says she needs a pontoon lawn mower. My veggies
and flowers look like drowned rats. Okay, I do have a weird imagination - I
have never seen a drowned rat, but my plants do look rather bad. Imagine if
this weather pattern does not change and eventually all this rain is coming
down as snow! I believe one inch of rain equals one foot of snow, or
something like that. And winter, at least up here in Maine, is not that far
off!
Enough of crying about the weather, we can’t change it anyway. What we can
change though is the fate of some of the many unwanted animals. And we did
change the life of a couple of dogs this month: Karen Rapallo, long time
supporter of Charley’s Strays, found homes for two of our dogs in
Massachusetts! It seems like there is a bigger demand in Massachusetts than
in Maine: Here we seldom get someone who wants to adopt, but plenty of
people who want to “get rid off”. . . |
Anyway,
Karen was taking a mini-vacation at her camp in Maine, and brought a
couple along to check out Charley’s Strays. The people instantly
took a liking to Farrah, who of course is a smart dog and leaned up
against them, telling them how much she wanted to go home with them.
They were also very interested in “One-eyed” Bandit, and drove back home
to think about it. A week later Karen got the okay for our 12 year old
Farrah! She also knew of a couple that had been looking for a beagle,
and our 2-year-old little guy came to mind. Beagle Bailey had several
people rooting for him already. Cindy Houston in Massachusetts had made
copies of pictures I had mailed to her and had distributed them among
the “dog-needies” she knows. Karen lucked out first and took Bailey to a
couple which had already been approved by the
NE beagle rescue for being perfect
animal-people.
Karen also found a home for our senior, and
somewhat deaf, Holly. I am still a bit apprehensive if that will work
out. Hopefully it will. |
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There is a new “guy” at the Shelter; a 130
pound purebred Chinese Akita, [or something or other] who was actually
trained to protect his woman. Well, she did not thank him for it, when
she got divorced, his protection was obsolete and he was no longer
wanted. So he ended up with us. Needless to say that he will most likely
stay there the rest of his life. There is a big difference between a 30
pound dog who protects his mistress and one who weighs as much as the
lady. The dog, Kia, is a nice gentle dog, but is very skeptical of men.
It’s beyond me why people do things like that, change a dog totally and
completely that he is no good for anyone else. Of course they all call
themselves “animal lovers” and God forbid never have any plans to
abandon their pet… So the poor animal always has to pay in the end for
the stupidity of these people.
Thank God this is not the rule. There are
sun rays peeking through the black clouds too. The Following is a letter
I received which I would like to share with you:
Hi,
My name is Sally XXX and I live in XXX MA. We
adopted Sherry about 10 1/2 years ago. She was approx 6 years old at
the time and was one of the original dogs that Charley had in the
beginning. Her daughter was named Wendy. I am sad to say that we had to
put Sadie (we renamed her) to sleep in May of this year. And our hearts
still ache. She turned out to be the most wonderful, loving dog I have
ever met. She over came so much in the 10+
years that we had her as part of our family.
The pin in her back leg was removed by an orthopedic surgeon....she had
a tumor removed which they couldn't get "clean margins" on, and thought
it would come back in 6-12 months. Also about 4 years ago she had a
minor stroke which she fully recovered from. When she died in May it
still hadn't come back and 5 years had gone by.
It took a little time for her to become very secure around other people
and other dogs but when she did, she was so pleasant with both. Everyone
who met her just thought she had the most beautiful big round eyes!Sadie
went with us everywhere. Rides, walks on beaches, camping, canoeing, dog
friendly motels all over New England. I will never forget her. I just
wanted you to have an update of a dog adopted out so many years ago. |
I remember
Sherry well. She did have beautiful round eyes, and she was one of
the first dogs we placed after Charley died. Her son, Buddy,
eventually came to live with Jim and myself up here in Limestone for
the two years he had left. Wendy, her daughter, never found a home
of her own, and died a couple of years ago at the vet’s office. She
is buried in Ted’s yard. Sherry was a fairly large dog, so to live
for almost 17 years means that she had heaven on Earth and was not
going to give that up by dying young, which says a lot about her
people. Thanks, Sally!
Jim spent some time at the Shelter this
month, re-doing the floors of seven runs inside the building.
Originally the floors in the building were concrete, easy to take
care of, but hard and cold on the dogs. I believe sometime in the
late 1990s Jim put in wooden floors, and on top of them vinyl tiles.
Over the years some of the tiles came off and had to be replaced, a
constant ongoing job. Last year we put a solid Armstrong covering
into our own home, and we are very pleased with it. So Jim decided
to try that out in the Shelter too. He had to tear out some of the
wooden floors because they had taken in a lot of water from washing
them, plus the urine from the dogs. You can imagine that this was a
very smelly and nasty job, and hard on Jim’s knees.
Jim replaced the wood, and covered the
seven runs with the same Armstrong flooring as we have in Limestone.
Hopefully this will be the end of our problems. It is very strong
and expensive material, and should last at least ten years.
Armstrong does give a warranty of 25 years on the flooring, but I
doubt if that will cover a shelter, and “wild” animals
J.
If it still looks good without any tears or scratches by next year,
and we have a little extra money, Jim will do some of the other
runs. We have 19 all together. We did not have any “leftover” money
to buy the material needed, since we are still paying on the bills
from the last heating season, but the runs were at a point were they
just had to be fixed. Any extra few $$ you can find hidden away in a
closet would be greatly appreciated .
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CAT REPORT –
August 2008
It’s
hard to believe summer is almost over. Already camps have closed and
cottagers are heading home, many no doubt regretting leaving during
sunny August weather after such a rainy July. The cats have had lots of
basking time this month. Most of the ones on the porch move back into
the shade for the afternoon, but apparently windowsills stay bearably
cool, even when the air coming in through the barely-open windows is
warm.
Oswald,
the black-and-white guy with the damaged front leg we acquired last
spring, continues to be a delight. His newest trick is to stand up and
wrap both front legs around my thigh in a friendly hug. He and my yellow
Tony-Ted (named partly after our Ted, who found him abandoned in a
church parking lot and brought him to me) eat together in a small room
off their living space. At meal time, I call, “Ozzie! Tony!” and they
hurry in from the porch, Oz galloping on three legs with the injured one
tucked under his belly, Tony trotting as fast as he can and still be
properly dignified.
The
other cat who’s pleased me immensely this month is little Kennebec. All
the work I’ve done with him is finally paying off, at least temporarily
(you notice I’m being very careful not to jinx him by talking about the
future). He’s in good coat and putting on weight and acting very much
like a house cat, asking to be petted and purring when I pick him up and
cuddle him. |
The
rest are doing well. Purina/Meg had her dental as scheduled and lost
all but about five teeth. She came home late on a Monday afternoon with
enough pain-killer to last the week, plus antibiotics. That evening I
gave her a small dish of well-mushed canned food with water; she spurned
it and ate roommate Jenny’s regular canned food. When I found her eating
dry food Tuesday evening, I decided I could discontinue the pain-killer.
I gave both of them canned food morning and evening through Wednesday,
and then went back to their usual regimen of canned food in the evening
and dry food available all day.
As
usual, I’m very grateful to all of you who help support Charley’s
Strays. I was pleased to get lots of coupons again this month,
especially welcome with the price of food higher every time I go to
town. Many thanks to Suzanne Belisle, Jennie Bering, Arlene Hayes,
Marlene Kaplan, Doris Lary, Iris Martinello, Teresa Parent, Willa
Rockett, Irma Simon and Judy Smith. Karen, Olivia Charles and a
neighbor, Kathy, donated cat food.
One of
the coupon-clippers also sent three hand-knitted cat beds. She said
there was no need to acknowledge the gift in the newsletter, but I did
want to say that they’ve been well received. Even in hot weather most of
the cats choose to lie on something soft. I’ll occasionally find one
stretched belly-down on the cool floor, most often somebody who’d been
napping on the porch and hadn’t realized indoors was more comfortable.
Interestingly, the ones who like to sleep with at least one other cat
(like Lisa and Pooh, who habitually share a cat bed) do so year-round,
though they sometimes sprawl instead of curling up when it’s warm; and
the ones who prefer not to have somebody right beside them (like Lisa
and Pooh’s brother Black Peter) usually stay separate even in cold
weather.
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This brings me to all the people who have helped our animals
again to lead a decent life, with plenty of food, proper vet
care, a roof over their head, and a place to run and play: |
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Our new mailing
address: |
| Charley’s
Strays |
| P. O. Box
64 |
| Limestone,
ME 04750 |
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ADA Fence, Palmyra
Arlene Hayes, Reading
Barton Lee Patrick,
Northport
Carole Parker,
Stoughton
Cathy O’Connor,
Winslow
Cindy Houston,
Woburn
Cristine Cardello,
Melrose
Dale Critchley, S.
Weymouth
Diane Rizzo, Oxford
Donna Bering, Lynn
Doris Lary,
Hartland
Dorothy Eckstein,
Medford
Florence Bournival,
Nashua
Fran Munday, Isanti
George Hinds, Cambridge
Harry & Lorena Clark, Beverly
Inge Maiellano, Marblehead
Iris Martinello, Tewskbury
Irma Simon, S. China
Jean Tillson, Franklin
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Jennie Bering, Lynn
Jim Lavita, Dennis
Joan Ryan, New Bedford
Joe D’Alessandro, Tuftonboro
John Caswell,
Newport
Jon & Barb
Anderson, Augusta
Joseph Blake New Bedford
Joseph Kogut, Upton
Josephine Ford,
Holden
Josephine Smith,
Woburn
Judy & Al Smith,
Belmont
Judy Rohweder,
Northport
Katherine Collins,
S. Barre
Kathleen Hillman,
Chelmsford
Laureen Alden,
Stoughton
Linda Merriam,
Dresden
Lisa D’Alessandro, Raymond
Marcia Smith,
Bucksport
Marian Delarue, W.
Newfield
Marlene Kaplan,
Melrose
Mary Klayda,
Winchester
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Maryann Glover,
N. Andover
Mildred Walker,
Presque Isle
Nancy Bitonti,
Kingston
Nancy Capone,
Wakefield
Naomi Teixeira,
Jay
Pauline
Connoughton, Randolph
Robert Hull,
Lawrence
Rust Pappathanasi, Swampscott
Sandra
Nicholson, Beverly
Scott Anderson,
Hopedale
Terry Jewell,
Standish
Viola McDonald,
Woburn
Willa Rockett, Belmont
Thank
you!
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Florence Bournival sent us a check in memory
of her husband who passed away on May 28th. Our sincere
condolences, Florence! Jim Lavita and Doug Robertson also
sent us a donation in memory of Mrs. Roberta Harris, mother
of their friend Pat. Nancy Bitonti, a lady who donated lots
of goodies for our eBay auction last year, also mailed us
money in memory of her little doxie Lorna, who had to leave
her family being only 5½ years old. Maureen Dowd sent some
money our way in honor of her dad’s “Fathers Day”, and Viola
McDonald mailed us a donation in memory of Bette Foster. The
Ecksteins sent us a donation in honor of the 90th birthday
of Hayden Mason, and Fran Munday mailed us a check in honor
of their little dog, Dreamer, who celebrated his first
birthday, hopefully with a big hot dog |
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When I started to
write this newsletter, I was afraid I could not
find enough to write about and here I am already
on page four [hard copy edition]. Amazing what’s
to be found in one's brain, if one picks at it
long enough.
J
I had a call from
our supporter Jean Catignani. She said she would
send us $50 to up the first prize for the
fundraiser to the usual $300. You may remember
that we dropped it down to $250 because of the
poor economy. She also told me she would send
another $50 for an additional money prize. So it
looks like we will have more then enough prizes
when the fundraiser comes around in October.
As I am trying to
finish this letter I had yet another call from a
rescue-lady who had a dog dropped of in the
early morning hours, tied to her back door. Lots
of calls, trying to find out what’s what,
finally finding the family who dropped her of by
doing some detective work- and yes, you guessed
it - “Bridget” a one year old Basenji-Terrier
mix, very friendly, ended up at Charley’s
Strays tonight. She is up to date on her
shots and also spayed, which in itself is a
small wonder. Looks like she could not handle
the constant tail-pulling of two toddlers and
two bigger kids. She does not bite. What exactly
do people expect when they have four small kids
running around? Bridget seems to be fine with
cats too. |
Okay, I am almost
finished, just one more thing, our wish-list for
the fundraiser: We should have plenty of dry dog
food if our “well” does not dry up (Shaw’s has
been giving us damaged bags of food, but with
the economy down the local shelter around Shaw’s
are finally getting their act together and are
also picking up the food. Jim has to drive 120
miles one way to get it. We do need canned food
and chewies, preferably the rawhide type because
they do keep the dogs longer occupied than milk
bones. Shaw’s also donated a 50 gallon barrel
of mixed laundry detergent to us, but we need
five gallon plastic buckets with lids to
transfer it out of the barrel. If you have some
large containers sitting around, or can find
some cheap ones in a store, we would really
appreciate it. As you know we always need
stamps. Gift certificates for staples
(newsletters, ink, etc.) and Wal-Mart (cleaning
supplies, dog treats, leashes, collars etc) are
also very much in need.
For all you guys and
girls out there who are down for one reason or
another, like Ted, Karen, Mary, Jim and myself
are occasionally (Shelter work can be very
discouraging at times, especially dealing with
the people- here is something to keep you (us)
going: |
Never Give
up!
Gabriele, Mary, Karen, Ted and Jim |
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