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Dear Friends:

With the price of gas skyrocketing, I am seriously considering the above option. I just have to convince Ruthann to take the dogs to the vet using this much cheaper method. Wish me luck!

Okay, this newsletter will be back to its normal format, no wild Katrina-rescue-missions, no other totally out of the norm stories to tell. First though a quick update on our Katrina dogs: All three went to the vet’s office the first week they arrived for their check-ups. The two boys were scheduled for the following week to have their manhood removed. No complications there. Louis gained 2 pounds the very first week being with us, which was a definite plus since he looked awfully skinny. The girl, Georgia, was a totally different story. After taking a heartworm test that showed to be positive, Georgia was scheduled for heartworm treatment the following week. Dr. Slack took some x-rays to see if there was any damage done to the heart already, which proved, thank God, not to be. But the x-rays revealed a bullet in Georgia’s chest! It had done no damage, so our vet decided to leave it in there. This girl has not only been traumatized by the hurricane, losing her family and home, but also has to live a life with lead in her chest. Dr. Slack told Ruthann that of all the dogs, which have passed through his

October, 2005

clinic, Georgia was the sweetest “most adoptable” dog he had ever seen. So, you guys and girls out there, we are still looking for a home for our Georgia! She is around 3-4 years old, seems to get along with anything 2-legged or 4-legged, and needs to have a good family of her own. Her treatment also consisted of staying three days and nights at Dr. Slack’s clinic, since it is very important to keep a close watch on a heartworm patient. When the worms start dying off and the dog is too active, these worms can form clots in the vein and could cause the death of the affected animal. For three weeks after treatment the dog has to be kept very quiet in order to prevent that from happening. Dr. Slack once again cut us some “big slack” with the invoice for taking care of our three Louisiana dogs, he gave us a over 30% discount. Thank you much, Dr. Slack!

And the Hurricane Katrina story was not quite over for us: Before the fundraiser we were in touch with a couple from New Hampshire, which do Katrina-transports to and from New Orleans. They needed a driver, so Jim volunteered. So after the fundraiser, once again, I packed a suitcase. But it was not to be: The day before Jim was going to leave, another category 5 hurricane was on its way, Wilma, so the people who are doing the transport called the whole thing off, they said

it will be re-scheduled for November. Jim was also going to bring a few small dogs, 5 pounders or so, back to our Shelter, since they seem to have a better chance of being adopted. We will see what happens in November.

On October 15th we had our yearly BIG event, the fundraiser, which comes right after THE OTHER annual big event -- when Dr. McQuade drives to our Shelter to vaccinate all the dogs. Jim and I had a horrible trip to Woburn, Massachusetts, since the weather God was not true to the little saying we have in Germany: when angels travel, the sun is shining. Okay, maybe it’s because we are far away from being angels Anyway, we made it through so much aquaplaning that I was a nervous wreck, and we had the best fundraiser ever! As you know, we needed money for the new furnace. The previous week it was installed. Since Jim is not a licensed furnace-installer?? a company had to do it, and with parts, labor and the furnace, we got hit with an invoice of over $2400!

Maybe it helped that this invoice was placed on the table at the fundraiser for everybody to see – whatever the reason, we lacked only a few dollars from getting all the money together! We had some beautiful things for sale – Jackie Lowney raided her store again, and together with Joan Ryan she made some of the most beautiful baskets filled with unbelievable things. Some of them we sold, others were raffled off. Cindy Herrick also made a huge critter-basket, something every dog probably dreams of, which was a big success. Enid Hayes furnished us not only with the second prize, but also with home-made jam, beautiful tote bags, scarves and hats she knitted, and fleece throws she sewed. Cindy Houston generously paid for the room, acted as

hostess, and involved some of her friends, one who made a beautiful Christmas tree for our Shelter, dog bones and goodies hanging on it. Cindy also baked some 800+ delicious dog-cookies. I sampled one, and it was very tasty.  We sold all of them, with the exception of one bag which was devoured by Louis, the Louisiana dog which came along to the fundraiser in hope to find a family of his own, but more about him later. Sylvia Fiorone and Dottie Ferris brought a rack full of brand-new beautiful “very sexy” scarves and hats along, which also sold well. And I had brought about 30 hand knitted sweaters, tops and baby suits. All knitted and crocheted by two friends in Germany for our fundraiser.

There was plenty to buy, and most of “our” people did their Christmas shopping with us. Thanks to them, and to you who have been buying some of our tickets, or selling them for us to friends and relatives! Unbelievably to me when I counted the money; with the exception of the material for the ductwork, which will be installed by Jim, we came up with enough money to pay the WHOLE BILL for the furnace! We never had such a good turn-out like this one. 2005 will stay in my memory, not only with terrible thoughts about the Katrina victims, but also with good ones about you, who helped. Thank you very very much! And a huge thank you to all our guests who gave us donations, brought truckloads and carloads full of food, blankets and treats. We had a bit of a dangerous drive back to Clinton -- pouring rain and a totally overloaded mini-van. And to our lawyer Debbie Schreiber who takes care of our IRS paper work and gave me a check to pay the yearly dues to the Maine employers mutual insurance; and to Al Smith who was very helpful in selling tickets, raffling off our baskets, and taking care of drawing the prizes for the sold tickets. And here are the lucky winners:

CAT REPORT: September/October  2005

There, the fall house call is over with!  Dr. Balboni and Julie spent about two hours with me this afternoon giving exams and vaccinations to most of the Charley’s Strays cats and most of my own cats. The rest are on a spring schedule. With one exception, everybody was in good shape; a few dirty ears, a few deteriorating teeth, but nothing major. The exception is Tess, one of the two surviving cats who knew Charley: I pointed out her unkempt coat, and Dr. Balboni immediately said probably a thyroid problem. When I go in next week to pay my share of the bill, I’ll make an appointment for blood work for her, including a thyroid test, and find out what’s going on with her.

The other news is sad: Black Bart had to be put down at the end of September. He was old and had been blind and almost deaf for months, but he did well in his walk-in cage, until quite suddenly he started acting oddly and not eating. I lost one of my cats to a brain tumor, and Bart acted similarly; it may have been that, or perhaps he had a stroke.

Otherwise these two months have been quiet.  Kennebec is eating well and acting as though he feels unusually good; every now and then he not only lets me pick him up, he even purrs in my arms! Sometimes he plays with toys, occasionally he plays with other cats, and this afternoon, to my astonishment, he got up on the table in front of the doctor and tech twice.  I’ve heard from the people who adopted Sir Oliver and Peaches; both are doing well.

I find when I wrote last month about people rescuing stray cats 30 and 40 at a time, I was understating the problem.  In the fall 2005 Save Our Strays newsletter, my friend Laurie writes of working with PETS [Save Our Strays and PETS are two more mostly-cat rescue groups based a bit north of my part of Maine] rounding up a group of 11 cats and kittens.  Two women who had been feeding them were selling their house and moving away. Those 11 turned out to be migrants from a nearby trailer park, where residents estimated there were at least 30 and perhaps 60 or more half-wild cats and kittens. There, too, people were trying to provide food and shelter. The people in trailer parks are not Maine’s wealthiest, and the problem was way beyond their resources. So Laurie and PETS volunteers have been trapping, treating, spaying or neutering and either placing or releasing those cats as fast as they can. Meanwhile, Laurie e-mailed me, she and her husband finally caught the last two cats from another colony they’ve worked with for close to a year – numbers 91 and 92 from that group.

Four special thank yous:  Early in September I got a package in the mail from Jennie Bering in Lynn, Massachusetts, full of cat food and treats, just what I needed for a couple who’d gone off their food and a pleasure for the rest. A couple days later Linda Voss from Waterville sent three cat beds. One she earmarked for Randall, the gray and white boy who’s always been a favorite of hers; the other two went upstairs out back, where they’re well slept on. Linda sent Randy a second bed a week or so later. In mid-September Merle Sideman, a supporter in Massachusetts, connected us with cat rescuers there who have extra cat food.  We’re still working on getting it from there to here as I write; I delegated arrangements to Laurie, who knows more people with trucks than I do, and intend to share the food with her. Meanwhile, Judy and Al Smith donated a lot of cat food and more nice big soft beds.   It’s so cute to see three or four cats curled up together in one of them.

Our longtime friends have stood by us with lots of coupons and supplies from Teresa and family, bags of cat food from the Charles’ cat, and SueAnn Charles gave me an armload of blankets and other bedding, for both cats and dogs. I’m sure many of you have been sending Gabi material and moral support, too. Thank you, from me and from the cats.

Thank you

to the following Charley’s angels:

Nancy Capone, Wakefield

Lisa Montmarquet, Raymond

Emile Jorgensen, E. Boston

Steve Martin, Augusta

Bette Beebe, Rockville

Roberta Chaves, Westport

Joseph Blake, New Bedford

Inge Maiellano, Marblehead

Enid Hayes, Halifax

Iris Martinello, Tewksbury

Elizabeth Fay, Northport

R. D. Bournival, Nashua

Robert Hull, Lawrence

James Lavita, Dennis

Douglas Robertson, Dennis

Donna Bering, Wakefield

Irma Simon, S. China

Gail Walsh, Waterville

Laureen Alden, Stoughton

Doris Lary, Hartland

Dorothy Eckstein, Medford

Roger Ellis, Holden

Michael Kane, Greenwood

Betsy Anderson, Framingham

Mary Klayda, Winchester

Karen Rapallo, Wakefield

Victor Santos, N. Reading

Harriet Snyder, Brockton

Cindy Houston, Woburn

Marie O/Brien, Pawtucket

Elizabeth Johnson, Sanford

Marcia Smith, Bucksport

Beverly Maheu, China Village

ADA Fence, Palmyra

George Hinds, Cambridge

Josephine Smith, Woburn

Jenny Bering, Lynn

Jackie Lowney, New Bedford

R & G Welch, Stonington

Robert Hull, Lawrence

Dorothy Eckstein, Medford

Dorothy Watkins, Amesbury

Joseph Blake, New Bedford

Carole Parker, Stoughton

Sandra Nicholson, Beverly

Rust Pappathanasi, Swampscott

The Archers, Canton

Judy Rohweder, Northport

Rust Pappathanasi, Swampscott

The Archers, Canton

Judy Rohweder, Northport

Mildred Walker, Presque Isle

Manuel German, Reading

Janice Solimine, Stoneham

Richard Lizotte, Newton

Josephine Ford, Holden

Marjorie Rapallo, Wakefield

Betty Sawyer, Jonesport

Katherine Stewart, Charlestown

Rose Chioccola, Stoneham

Inge & Al Maiellano, Marblehead

Phyllis Sherman, Halifax

Dog Axel and Lois

Ruth Giusti, Titusville

Dorothy Biron, Waterville

P. A. Lenk, China Village

Linda Clish, Bangor

Werner Eckstein, Woburn

Florence Mason, Lexington

Maureen Murray, Brick

Lorena & Harry Clark, Beverly

Judy Crosby, Belfast

Shirley Rancourt, St. Petersburg

Etta McConahay, Torrance

Viola McDonald, Woburn

Joseph Kogut, Upton

Holli Landry, Greene

Marlene Kaplan, Melrose

Cristine Cardello, Melrose

Doris Dango, Melbourne

Anne Tappan, Cambridge

Judy & Al Smith, Belmont

Jon & Barb Anderson, Augusta

Joseph Arouca, Ormond Beach

Karyl Britt, N. Chelmsford

Grace Kiley, W. Roxbury

This brings me to the end of this month newsletter.

Take Care,

Gabriele, Mary, Ted and Jim

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