Animal Rescue/Foster/Adoption

[maryam]

We're officially at our limit for pets at our complex because we have two cats. Both of our darlings are rescue girls. I've mentioned Psycho Kitty elsewhere, but she's actually turning out to be a sweetheart. The thing is, she is deathly afraid of dogs (as am I, so no dogs for us. I'm sorry. I love to look, but I have issues...) and small children due to being in a bad situation when she was small. She then went through 7 foster homes or attempted adoptions before we got her. The kicker? She was only 14 months old when we got her. She is a Bengal, as is our older kitty. Both came from rescues. Psycho Kitty has a weird mix of clinginess and fear, with a bit of separation anxiety. She's doing well though. Really coming out of her shell and getting a bit cuddlier. Bengals tend to get put down in shelters a lot because they're viewed as being difficult, or destructive when really, they're very smart, high energy cats that probably aren't good for novice owners. We got our first Bengal from the rescue because we'd had great results with socializing ferals and other hard to home kitty beasts.

So right now, we can't foster more fur foots. But we can foster lizards! and we do! Right now, we have two geckos who are ours, and we're fostering one bearded dragon with lots of personality (he's a clown!) and a uromastyx. Our manager doesn't count them as long as there's 4 or less. Since they're all in secure aquariums, it's all good. We had a small Russian tortoise for a few weeks last fall, and she ended up taking her home. We have done snakes, but I'm squeamish about feeding them pinkies and stuff, so we generally don't get snakes. The lizards eat crickets, meal worms and veggies usually, so they're easier to feed. Yes, I can handle crickets better than mice. Call me weird!

The Spousal Unit would like me to get over the dog issue, and I have been getting better about it. I can handle some smallish ones, and I met a very nice gentle Newfoundland who didn't eat me (which is good!) the other day, but SU is the kind of person who doesn't push it.

[Sun]

Hello All,

I want to share this article on pending legislation that needs support in CA. AB1213 will ban Bobcat trapping in CA. Chinese fur traders are trapping our cats and selling the pelts for a high profit. Given the inhumane treatment of animals by the Chinese fur industry, this goes from bad to worse. We are looking at slow and painful death for these beautiful cats.

It is hard for me to believe that this is allowed at all, especially in our State and National Parks. Bobcats (as well as all wildlife) are a precious gem of a community and are thriving in recent years.

Please share this article with your networks in CA and if you reside in CA, please take a few minutes to write a letter or email in support of AB1213. I do a lot of legislative advocacy and I have to tell you that this is how change happens, our elected officials take email and letters very seriously as support.

I've asked the Humane Society CA for a lobby day on this bill so we may get organized to lobby the committee that will be reviewing this bill. This should be a no brainer for them however there is no inherent worth in allowing this torture and cruelty.

Please thank Assemblymember Richard Bloom D-Santa Monica for this bill and show your support: assemblymember.bloom@assembly.gov.ca

[Dominique]

Home> ABC Univision

What Are Pet Food Stamps?

Child feeding a pit bull Terrier puppy (Tetra Images)






















By CONZ PRETI (@conz)
March 16, 2013





A new New York-based non-profit is gaining popularity with a program aimed at helping low income animal owners with the wellbeing of their pets.
Several years ago, a friend of Marc Okon's told him that she was having financial difficulties and was receiving food stamps. "She told me she sometimes feeds her cat before herself and goes without eating," he said in an interview with ABC/Univision. "I felt horrible, and the term 'pet food stamps' entered my mind. It stayed with me until recently when I pursued it further and was able to open up this non-profit nationally."
Okon launched Animal Food Stamps in February of this year. Since then the organization has received more than 125,000 applications covering more than 250,000 pets. The non-profit provides free pet food to owners who need a little help to get to the end of the month. All food is bought thanks to private donations and through PetFlow.com. They expect the first batch of food will be sent out to be delivered next week.

Tetra Images
Child feeding a pit bull Terrier puppy View Full Size


Tetra Images
Child feeding a pit bull Terrier puppy






Since it was launched, the service has received so many applications that the verification processes is backed up by about three weeks. Once approved, Pet Food Stamps will supply up to six months of free food. Owners will then have to re-apply to get another six months worth of food. Okon says, if needed, they could fill all of the current applications, but not all may meet the approval process requirements.
For those looking to receive dog food the process is simple. Log on to Pet Food Stamps and fill out a brief form. Soon after, a volunteer will reach out to verify the information, perform an income background check and approve or reject the petition. If people qualify for federal food stamps (and about 15 percent of the nation does) or fall below the poverty line, they will likely qualify for pet food, too.
The goal is not only to help pet owners in need, but also to lower the number of abandoned animals around the country. Although there have been numerous attempts to reduce the shelter intake number, such as low cost vet services, counseling and free spaying and neutering, this unique program is meant to fill a distinct void. According to Okon "seven million pets are surrendered to shelters each year with four million being killed due to lack of food."
The non-profit is not only working with pet owners, but also sending literature to every shelter in the country to hand out to people before they surrender their pets. "We are confident this will make a huge difference in shelter population, amount of pets put to sleep and help keep families together," Okon said.
As the non-profit grows and continues to increase its funding, Okon expects to hire more people and recruit more volunteers to help with the approval process, which would vastly increase the amount of daily pet food deliveries. They will also be airing a television commercial to raise awareness to the issue in the coming weeks.
As they say on their website, Pet Food Stamps doesn't want to see pet owners be put in between supporting their animal or paying the rent.

[Sun]

Dominique thank you for posting about the Pet Food stamps that one totally slipped my mind. What a great program. I saw the introduction and surge of the program on Facebook.

So many pets are being surrendered because their guardians are experiencing financial stress, so hopefully this will help to keep some pets with their families.

[maryam]

Update: Our Beardy Foster has found his forever home; he's now living with a science teacher from a local high school. He's not a classroom lizard though. He's a home pet. And now we have a second Uromastyx, this one came with a name; he's called Jafar from the Disney Aladdin movie. Not sure if I like that one or not. It just seems like people who give their pets "aggressive" or "evil" names may try to raise them that way. Thankfully, this doesn't really work with reptiles. But the poor guys get a bad rap anyway.

[femmeInterrupted]

To find this thread!

I have a long history of being 'found'. I often think of it that way, because the animals might be rescues, but it is they that invariably cross my path somehow.

This is Bender. Bender was an orphaned/abandoned barn cat. He was a tiny, snot covered grey mangy little kitten when he came into my life.
Amazingly, he survived his early health issues, and is now 8 years old.
In his 'hey day' he was a holy terror! A big old tom that came home with scabs and cuts and bites.
He's settled down now into pretty much a lap cat.
We love this cat so much it's crazy!







This is Mika. Mika is a rescue from the Dominican Republic.
She has quite a story, but is a survivor. We've had her for coming up on a year, and she's taken to domestic life like a duck to water.
She traded sandy beaches for snow this last winter, but has gained weight and is socializing really nicely. She's a bundle of love.






This is Cleetus Puff. (A.K.A. Big Sexy)
We fostered him until he found his forever home with a wonderful woman. He is a bearded dragon.
He loved eating the my hibiscus flowers!