Dear friends,
I hope
this letter finds you in good health and spirit! There are only a couple of
months of winter left, so hang in there! I know it has been terribly cold up
here, and the rest of New England had to deal with a lot of snow, but all bad
things will come to an end. As for Jim and myself, we missed the snowstorms
completely, and the 29 below zero at the Shelter, and the 32 inches of snow.
We baked in the Floridian sun! The weather was perfect. Our two dogs who
came with us seemed to be quite happy too, even though my dog Nikki had to take
a lot of teasing because of her short legs. Thank God her fur is black, so
nobody could notice her blushing from embarrassment. A big body, short legs, oh
well, nobody is perfect! After all, she has to match my looks. I am sure
everybody knows that dogs have a tendency to look just like their owners.
All good things come to an end, and Jim and I are back in Maine,
ready to take on whatever challenge the Shelter and life in Maine will bring.
Now to the Shelter-news:
As you
probably remember, after Charley died we not only took over caring for lots of
dogs and cats, but also for three farm animals: Loretta the cow, Oliver the bull
and Bowser the pig. Last year Loretta had to be put down because of a
nerve-ailment, and this year in January Bowser went to Hog Heaven. She had not
been eating anymore, just would sleep all the time. So Ted, Karen and Mary
started to make calls to various vets to see what could be done. The
administered antibiotics shots didn’t seem to do help. There was no choice but
to put her to sleep. We found out after that she had two large cancerous
tumors on the end of her stomach, so no food could pass into her intestines.
Poor Oliver who had Bowser and Loretta for companions all his life is now all
alone. He gets lots of treats and seems to enjoy the extra carrots and
goodies, but we can tell he is very lonesome. Oliver is well past 12 years old
himself, and who knows how much longer he will be with us. Nobody really seems
to know how old these big guys get, since they always end up in the frying pan
when they are young.
But there
is also some good news: We placed Kate, one of our “newer” dogs, through our
new website on the Internet. So here's a big
Thank you
again to Charley, who was the one who put this website together
for us!
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But the space, which was vacated by Kate, did not stay empty for very
long – we took in a small little “peek-a-boo” dog, 6 years old, who had
been with his family since he was a pup. He did not handle the arrival
of a new baby too well, from what we were told he started nipping at it.
So he had to go. Normally these tiny dogs can be placed very fast, but
this little guy is diabetic and needs a shot twice a day. It is not a
big deal to do, since the shot is giving right under the skin. But I am
afraid that because of this we will not be able to adopt him out very
easy. I have no photo of him right now, but hopefully next month you
will get to see one in this newsletter.
The Fundraiser:
For
the last 15 plus years February was the month we started selling the
tickets for the June fundraiser. As our “old” supporters already know
and suspect – we always need money for one project or another, and the
June fundraiser is the event where we try to get this “extra” cash. The
regular donations are used for the care of the animals, like food,
veterinary care, treats; the electricity it takes to wash and dry their
blankets and not keeping them in the dark all day, the heating oil and
gas to keep them warm, Insurance on the buildings and property, the car
which is needed to run the many errands, the property taxes,
maintenance, etc. We have been keeping a close watch on our oil
furnace in the kennel since the yearly inspector told us that it had a
crack, and now it has to be replaced. After this heating season it has
to go before we take a chance of it catching fire. So this year’s
fundraiser will be to replace the heating-unit. Now comes the
BIG CHANGE:
Instead of having this fundraiser in June, we will have it later this
year, in October
to be exact. The reasons are; it is always very hot in June, people are on
vacation, money is very tight in the summer months, and so on. Also you
may want to do your Christmas shopping with us! There will be many
beautiful things for sale. So we will wait a couple of months before we
start selling the fundraiser tickets. As always there will be many
prizes, and if you would like to donate an item as either a prize or
something we could sell this would be very generous. But please, only
new items. The first prize will be $300, more prizes will be added. I
have several nice things myself for this fundraiser, handmade from
friends in Germany. The fundraiser will be held in Woburn,
Massachusetts. at the Radisson Hotel, the exact date is still unknown.
But I will keep you informed about everything!
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At this
point of the letter I usually print the names of the supporters who assisted
in the care of our four-legged friends, and I will do so now. Please don’t be
upset if I missed your name. With being away last month I am still sorting
through lots and lots of mail, and, hopefully, I will get everything
straightened out by the time you get this letter. There is a tiny tiny chance
that, once again, I messed up, so please forgive this poor old soul for doing
such a lousy job. And here it goes:
The following supporters
of our animals helped our four legged friends once again these past two
months. A big
Thank you
goes to:
Barton Lee Patrick, Northport
Marcia
Smith, Bucksport
Florence Mason,
Lexington
Dorothy D’Alessandro,
C. Ossipee
G & R. Welch,
Stonington
Ron Hertz, Maynard
Joseph D’Alessandro,
Tuftonboro
David Hingston,
Chelmsford
Grace Kiley, West
Roxbury
Emilia
Jorgensen, Boston
Lisa Montmarquet,
Raymond
Christine Cordello,
Melrose
Jean Catignani, Conway
Joseph Arouca, Ormond
Beach
Dante Bartolomeo,
Temple
Michael Kane, Greenwood
Inge Maiellano,
Marblehead
Cindy Houston, Woburn
Linda Merriam, Dresden
Mary Jane Gorton,
Floral City
Rust Pappathanasi,
Swampscott
Karen Rapallo,
Wakefield |
Marie O’Brien, Pawtucket
Marlene Kaplan, Melrose
Cathy O’Connor, Winslow
Iris
Martinello, Tewksbury
Naomi Teixeira, Jay
Lorena & Harry Clark,
Beverly
Elizabeth Johnson,
Sanford
Lisa Cope, Virginia
Beach
Beverly Maheu, China
Village
Richard Lizotte, Newton
Mildred Walker, Presque
Isle
Nancy Brown, Waltham
R.D. Bournival, Palm
Beach Gar
Carole Parker,
Stoughton
Kathleen Hillman,
Chelmsford
Mary Campbell, S.
Portland
Nancy Capone, Wakefield
Harriet Snyder,
Brockton
Jon & Barb Anderson,
Augusta
Enid Hayes, Halifax
Dorothy Eckstein, Medford |
Barbara
Askew, Milton
Manual German, Reading
Rose Chioccola,
Stoneham
Irma Simon, China
Willa Rockett, Belmont
Pat Thain, N. Billerica
Linda Clish, Bangor
Betty Sawyer, Jonesport
Judy Rohweder,
Northport
Marian Delarue, Woburn
Robert Hull, Lawrence
Doris Lary, Hartland
Michael Kane, Greenwood
John Caswell, Newport
Doris Babitt, Westford
George Hinds, Cambridge
Mary Klayda, Winchester
Jo Ford, Holden
Joan Ryan, N. Bedford
Judy Crosby, Belfast
Dorothy Watkins, Amesbury |
A big
Thank you to our friend Viola MacDonald
from Woburn, Massachusetts Viola did a very noble thing again, as she has done
for the past several years: She told her friends and relatives not to buy her
any Christmas presents, but to give her checks instead made out to
Charley’s Strays. Her Christmas money bought us – almost a whole oil tank
full of heating fuel. I don’t need to tell you about the outrageous high price
for it, you have to buy it yourself to keep warm. This month the biggest part
of your donations were used to keep the buildings and the animals warm.
January had brought some very very cold weather, and Jim always worries that
one of these days the water pipes will freeze and bust. But thanks to your
help all is well, the critters and the pipes made it through most likely the
coldest part of this winter. And this month I don’t have to worry either;
Dorothy and Woody Watkins from Amesbury made sure the oil tank is filled
again. Thank you!!
There is
one more thing I would like to ask you for before I close this letter: We need
dog treats. If you happen to be at Walmart or some other big CHEAP store,
would you pick some up for us? Preferable milk bones, Jim can eat them better
then the rawhide ones, he has had tooth-problems here lately.
J J
(Our dogs also seem to prefer the soft type) If you do mail us some, or if you
prefer to use UPS, please send them to: Charley’s
Strays, McCarty Road, Benton, ME 04901.
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Keep warm, think “Almost Spring!!!”
Gabriele, Mary, Karen,
Ted and Jim
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Please read on . . . cat report below!
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CAT
REPORT – JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2005
Quite a
lot has happened since my report at the end of 2004, some bad and some
good.
To get
the bad news over first, we lost our Kitchen Cat early in January. As I
told you, we’d learned she had an abdominal tumor; I think it spread.
It’s taken me a long time to stop looking for her whenever I come into
the kitchen.
Two
other seniors, Black Bart and Snooks, have been sick, but both
recovered. Bart had a broken tooth and had to have a full dental job,
under anesthesia – nerve-wracking for a cat who’s well into his teens,
but he came through fine. Snooks had a big sore in her mouth which
antibiotics took care of. I’m still mushing up Bart’s canned food and
sometimes adding water to it to encourage him to eat well, and feeding
him three or four times a day, along with Snooks, Tess (because she’s
Snooks’ roommate) and Kennebec (our poster boy for pre-natal care – his
mother lacked it, and he’s always needed special handling)
It’s
nice that Karen gave the cats two cartons of fancy canned food for
Christmas. Not only is it a treat for everyone, but several times the
cats who weren’t feeling well would eat that when their ordinary food
didn’t appeal.
The
good news is that Sir Oliver and White Peter have gone to new homes,
where both are doing well. Karen flew to Ohio with Sir Oliver the end
of December; he’s with Karen’s friend Lisa and her husband, two cats and
two dogs. White Peter is living in Belgrade, about 20 miles from my
house, with a woman and her son and two other young cats.
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His new
“mother” e-mailed me what a riot the three kittens are; I can imagine,
considering how much quieter my house is without him.
Another
Christmas present from Karen was a new cat bed. Right around then,
Evita (Kennebec’s mother) and Emery had been out of their walk-in cage
for an afternoon and had claimed one of the wicker baskets my friend
Teresa gave the cats. I moved the basket into their cage when they went
back in, and it was fine for a short time, until one of them started
chewing it. So I took it out – I think wicker splinters are not part of
a healthful feline diet – and put in the new bed from Karen. When I
came back half an hour later, they were sharing it, and one or both are
in it most of the time now. Which reminds me, Bart, too, has had a bed
from Karen in his walk-in cage, probably for two or three years; he
rarely used it until he had the toothache, but now he sleeps in it all
the time, ignoring his old ex-favorite.
Remember Jane, the Alaskan who adopted Lottie? She and Lottie (who has
changed her name repeatedly) sent a big box of catnip for Valentine’s
Day. The cats have enjoyed it immensely.
Teresa
was also generous at Christmas, sending a whole bunch of the hand-knit
rolls stuffed with home-grown catnip that the cats love, and she and her
family continue to supply coupons and other useful things. The Charles’
cat faithfully sends canned food every week. My thanks, as always, to
all these cat friends, and to all of you who make it possible to feed
and house and medicate our animals.
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