June 2008

Dear Friends:

It looks like we have two happy dogs in the above picture, but that’s not quite so. Phoebe, the one on the left lucked out; last week she was adopted by a lady who works at our vet. But poor beagle Bailey is still with us. Several people seemed interested. Lots of photos were taken and mailed to them, but no one ever showed up at the shelter to meet him in person. So a happy end for Phoebe, but not yet for Bailey. Our beautiful Shepherd, King, was also adopted; contrary to the norm of not being able to place large dogs, especially shepherds, Two different couples were willing to adopt him! We are keeping our fingers crossed that he now has his forever home.

And there is a new girl at the Shelter: Molly, an 8-month old wavy haired black medium-sized dog. Her face is terrier looking with cute longish wiry silver whiskers. The owner had no more use for her and was going to shoot her. A lady we have been working with quite often over the years, Laurie, got wind of it and rescued her.

Our friends Cathy and Jeff picked her up and brought her to the Shelter. She will have to be spayed before we can earnestly start looking for a home for her; meaning another huge vet bill on the horizon. The last vet invoice was for King and Phoebe in the amount of $489, and that included the discount. With your continued help we will survive J.

With the cost of living for everybody on the rise, I am really starting to get worried, it seems no one can afford the extra money to donate to a shelter anymore. What’s going to happen next? People, who can’t afford the gas to drive to work, will not spend any money on their animals. That means a big increase of throwaway pets, and definitely a big increase of non- neutered/spayed animals. Oh boy! I don’t even want to think about the future of those poor critters, and the future of all those small shelters all over the country.

In order to help our shelter this coming winter to keep the buildings heated, Cindy Houston and Jacque Lowney will have their annual yard sale again this September. All the money they make will go directly to MainGas Co to supply us with this HOT commodity.  The only problem: They have very few “fleas” left for sale.  We need your help!  I am sure there are things somewhere in your closets which have been catching dust for many years. You probably would not even notice if they were gone. Not whole bedroom sets or old cars, but things which can be sold in front of a house without having to be carted away in a truck. If you do have any small mailable items, please send them to: Cindy Houston, 143 Winn Street, Woburn, MA 01801.

If they are to large or to heavy to be mailed, our supporter Karen Rapallo, who lives in Wakefield, has made the generous offer to pick them up and bring them to Cindy.  Karen’s phone number is: 781-246-4832. We appreciate your help very much!

I have sold four more pieces of the donated jewelry to a lady in Florida. The rest which includes some beautiful pieces will be mailed to Sylvia Fiorino for the Pet Rock Festival, Sylvia please call me, your phone is always busy. I may have the wrong number!

We will have our yearly fundraiser in October, once again, in Woburn at the Baptist church. The money we raise from that will also be used for heating oil, even though we need $$ for various projects at the shelter, until something changes with the fuel prices, everything else will be put on a back burner.

CAT REPORT  –  June 2008

Not much news from the cat front this month – aside from cats tearing around and talking to me and each other and the world in general, it’s been pretty quiet. Purina/Meg, who shares my bedroom, is one of the nocturnal movers and shakers – you can imagine how popular she is when she pounces on my feet at 4 a.m.! Meg’s always been unusually lively, much more frequently wide awake than many of the other cats. If, as I read somewhere, a typical cat sleeps 80% of the time, Meg’s not typical.

As I predicted in April, Maine is full of surplus cats again.  Every rescuer I know has a full house and still hears from people begging for homes for stray cats and litters of kittens. And, as other people predicted, area shelters and rescuers are taking animals from people, especially senior citizens, who can no longer afford to keep their pets in the current economy.  

As I predicted in April, Maine is full of surplus cats again. Every rescuer I know has a full house and still hears from people begging for homes for stray cats and litters of kittens. And, as other people predicted, area shelters and rescuers are taking animals from people, especially senior citizens, who can no longer afford to keep their pets in the current economy. I can think of few sadder things than to have to give up your companion in order to pay for your necessities. I’ve heard that in some towns, people are arranging to have the senior-assistance agencies that provide home-delivered meals also distribute donated pet food. Maybe some of you can help spread that idea.

I’m certainly appreciative of all of you who think of the animals at Charley’s Strays. The Charles cat sent cat food again, as did Karen. I was pleased to get a cash gift from Jennie Bering and envelopes of useful coupons from her, Judy Smith and Teresa and her sister. The coupons really do help – on one of my recent grocery-store runs I cashed in $10 worth on cat food and cat litter. My thanks to all of our supporters.

Carole Parker, Stoughton

Cindy Houston, Woburn

Dale Critchley, S. Weymouth

Doris Lary, Hartland

Dorothy Andrews, Warwick

Dorothy Eckstein, Medford

Elizabeth Fay, Northport

Enid Hayes, Halifax

Inge Maiellano, Marblehead

Irma Simon, S. China

Jean & Ralph Catignani, Conway

Jennie Bering, Lynn

Jon & Barb Anderson, Augusta

Joseph Arouca, Ormond Beach

Joseph Blake, New Bedford

Josephine Smith, Woburn

Judy & Al Smith, Belmont

Judy Rohweder, Northport

Karen Rapallo, Wakefield

Linda Merriam, Dresden

Lisa D’Alessandro, Raymond

Lorena & Harry Clark, Beverly

Marlene Kaplan, Melrose

Mary Klayda, Winchester

McKean & Barb Thompson, Law.

Thank you!

 

Meet Molly, she is a gray-speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners when Katrina hit southern Louisiana, USA. She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled. While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier, and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected and her vet went to LSU for help. But LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes. But after surge on Rustin Moore met Molly, he changed his mind. He saw how the pony was careful to lie down on different sides so she didn't seem to get sores, and how she allowed people to handle her. She protected her injured leg. She constantly shifted her weight, and didn't overload her good leg. She was a smart pony with a serious survival ethic.

Moore agreed to remove her leg below the knee and a temporary artificial limb was built. Molly walked out of the clinic and her story really begins there. This was the right horse and the right owner," Moore insists. Molly happened to be a one-in-a-million patient. She's tough as nails, but sweet, and she was willing to cope with pain.   She made it obvious she understood (that) she was in trouble. The other important factor, according to Moore, is having a truly committed and compliant owner who is dedicated to providing the daily care required over the lifetime of the horse. "Molly's story turns into a parable for life in post-Katrina Louisiana. The little pony gained weight, her mane felt a comb. A human prosthesis designer built her a leg. The prosthetic has given Molly a whole new life, Allison Barca, DVM, Molly's regular vet, reports. And she asks for it! She will put her little limb out, and come to you and let you know that she wants you to put it on. Sometimes she wants you to take it off too. "And sometimes, Molly gets away from Barca. "It can be pretty bad when you can't catch a three-legged horse", she laughs. Most important of all, Molly has a job now. Kay, the rescue farm owner, started taking Molly to shelters, hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers. Anywhere she thought that people needed hope. Wherever Molly went, she showed people her pluck. She inspired people. And she had a good time doing it.   ”It's obvious to me that Molly had a bigger role to play in life”, Moore said, “She survived the hurricane, she survived a horrible injury, and now she is giving hope to others.”   “She is not back to normal, but she’s going to be better. To me, she could be a symbol of New Orleans itself,” Barca concluded.

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