...and BEARS? Oh, my!

It has been a busy, busy week down here on the farm.  In my last post, I alluded to the fact that there may be a bear joining us.  Well, I wasn't far off.  Meet Mustang:

We'd had our eye on Mustang since his arrival at the Bedford County Animal Shelter.  We met with him and he was an absolute oaf - a gentle giant who liked to give hugs but had clearly had little to no human affection.  When I got word that he had been adopted and returned to BCAS and that his time there was probably short, there was nothing to do other than try to prepare our home for a hundred pound puppy.  We had a 10x10 kennel that we added some panels to in order to create a 10x20 space and purchased the biggest dog house that we could find (which, turns out, he preferred to sit on top of rather than inside).  Once we got him home, we realized that his biggest quirk was going to be that he treated every door like it had a juicy NY strip steak waiting for him on the other side of it.  After a couple of days of stubbed toes and sprained wrists and ankles and lots of exasperation trying to navigate all manner of entrances and exits, I think we've finally rewired his synapses to fire in a more reasonable fashion.  He WANTS to be well-mannered; he's just never had the luxury of anyone showing him what that means.  The fine folks at Bedford Humane Society got a move on to make sure that Mustang would be ready to go on a PawSafe Transport on April 8th. He'll be heading up north where there is already a potential family interested in him (way to go, PawSafe!  that's how you network!).

Since Mustang has been with us, he has gotten his shots and been neutered.  That's just the technical stuff.  The really amazing stuff is that he has learned to appreciate belly rubs and will happily roll himself over for one.  He's learned that people can be GOOD -- that they don't always leave you and never come back.  He's learned what it means to have a routine and he's thriving in that.  He's learned that he LOVES his woobie and that it makes a really nice pillow when he's not tossing it about.  Most importantly, he's learned that he is a dog that deserves all of those things and more.  How ecstatic am I that we get to be a part of helping this fella get a forever home that he can call his own?!

Kittens and puppies and bears, oh my!

I think it's safe to say that our adventures in animal rescue have officially begun. Several weeks ago we were able to pull two cats from a high-kill facility in a neighboring county. Crook & Cricket were in a concrete cat room where upper respiratory infections were running rampant and untreated; their time there would have been very limited had Chaz and Michelle not snatched them up. I'm happy to report that, after 2 weeks with us and successful spays, they are happy as little larks in their new home with Michelle!

The Friday that Crook & Cricket went to their new home, we headed over to BCAS to meet some of the sweet faces that they had recently acquired.  We were thrilled to see numerous dogs walk out into their new future in the short time that we were there.  And then, I just HAD to go visit the kitty room...knowing that they weren't full...knowing that no one was in any immediate danger....but I just couldn't stop myself.  It's the kitty room, for crying out loud.  And they don't want you to know this, but kitties need love too, dangit.  I found myself locked in a staring contest with a small silver and black fuzzball who was sitting very stiffly at the back of her crate.  The longer I met her eyes, the more inclined she was to trust me and venture out of her corner to be petted.  I saw that she was in heat and miserable with some gastrointestinal issues thrown in for good measure.  She'd stopped taking any pride in her appearance whatsoever, but still managed to look indignant about being caged.  Her grey-green eyes dared me to look away.  I was, of course, smitten.  When I got her paperwork, I saw that she was listed as "aggressive" and a "confirmed biter."  A kitten no more than 6 months old and her chances in this world had already been cut to next to nil.  She got her bad rep when the people who had her allowed their small child to torment her...and then they discarded her when she struck back.  Way to teach your kid to respect all sentient beings.  That is some quality parenting right there.  On the way home, we joked about what to call her:  'Vicious'...'Nancy' (as in Sid-and-)....Drusilla....?  It hit while she gazed at me steadily from her new oversized crate with the soft towel for a bed and toys, the likes of which she'd never seen before: Elphie.  Elphaba is the much-maligned Wicked Witch of the West from the musical *WICKED.*  She is mistreated and misunderstood but proud and strong with a golden heart.  If that's not my Elphie, I don't know what is.  In the week that she's been with us, there's been biting and scratching and climbing and cuddling and a motorboat purr that just never stops -- she practically vibrates with it.  But she's being a kitten and doing what kittens do and she's learning how to trust and I'm honored that she chose me to learn how to do those things with.

(Further tales of puppies and bears to come, no doubt!)

Taking Deep Breaths

The past 10 days or so have been a whirlwind of emotion - from outrage to helplessness - since WSLS' news story regarding the treatment of animals at the Regional Center for Animal Control & Protection and by (shockingly) tight-knit association, the Roanoke Valley SPCA.  I was furious to learn that the two seemingly separate entities shared a director and appalled at his annual salary ($97K) - do you have any idea how far even half of that amount could go towards a low-cost spay & neuter program for Valley residents?  Or towards a T-N-R (Trap-Neuter-Release) program to reduce populations in feral cat colonies?  There is so much GOOD that could be done...yet those good works are being eschewed in favor of what amounts to laziness and disregard not only for the animals but for the community that would be happy to give of itself in order to make their lives better.  It's frustrating and disheartening and leaves me wanting to bang peoples' heads together, but that's never really helped to solve a crisis, has it?  So what, then?  When I'm bemoaning the fact that people are the problem, I have to remind myself that people are also the solution.  When I look at rescue sites, when I become completely overwhelmed by every furry face that's sad and afraid, I have to look back at my brood and remember what theirs lives might have been had they not found their way here.  And then I have to remember to take deep breaths, to look outside of myself instead of within and to move forward instead of spiral downward....and remind myself that it's okay if I can't change the world on my own because there are plenty of people who are willing and able to help.

We Are Their Heroes

Jim Willis, 2001

If you worry that you have not made a difference,
you have,
for only those who do not worry about it have not.
If you feel overwhelmed, if the weight of problems
is too heavy to bear,
remember it is a shared burden
and the strength of numbers can accomplish much.
If you think society and government are blind,
it only serves to remind that we need to change
one mind at a time, one law after another.
We effect change by cooperation, not by isolation.
If you consider that we cannot save them all,
and what difference does one make?,
you ought to know the joy of the one who is saved.
Mourn those we cannot save. It is a eulogy to their being.
Do not let their loss be in vain.
Be kind to yourself, remember your needs
and those of your family and friends of every species.
If you give everything, what will you have left for yourself,
or for them?
Strive to be happy and healthy. You are needed.
Achieving balance in life is a lifelong struggle.
We who help those who do not have all that they need
should be among the most grateful for what we have.
Be proud of your accomplishments, not your opinions.
The quality of your efforts is more important than the quantity.
Forgive your own deficiencies - sometimes your caring is sufficient.
Everyone can do something, it is up to you to do the thing you can.
A kind word and a gentle touch can change a life.
If a seething anger wells up within you, because people are the problem,
remember your humanity and that people are also the solution.
Concentrate on specific needs, pay attention to the individual -
they make up the whole.
See beyond the unlovable, the unattractive, the impure and the wounded -
see that their spirit is as deserving as the rest. Help them heal.
Their eyes are windows to their soul and the mirror of your sincerity.
All species, all beings, share this Earth in a chain of life.
Care more about what makes us alike than what separates us.
Policies, rules and regulations are not infallible.
Apply them judiciously, interpret them wisely.
No decision based purely on money is ever the right one.
Listen to your heart. Sometimes we have to do that which
we are most afraid of.
Be true to yourself and your beliefs.
Family may abandon you,
friends may disappoint you, strangers will ridicule you.
People shun what they do not understand.
Help them to understand - kindly, softly, gently.
Those who do not respect all life are to be pitied.
Often the wrongdoer is as in need of help as his victims.
Forgive, then teach by example.
Educate yourself or you cannot hope to teach others.
No action based in hatred is ever right and
anger drowns out wisdom.
Yours may be a voice crying in the wilderness,
make it a voice to be respected.
Listen more than you talk, be courteous and reliable.
Learn to ask for help. Never waiver from the truth.
Know that it takes a lot of strength to cry and
with every defeat, we learn.
All Creation celebrates that which is in its own best interest.
The Children are our hope - nurture them.
Nature is our legacy - protect it.
The Animals are our brethren - learn from them.
Your rewards will not be material, but they will be meaningful,
and the courage of your convictions can survive anything.
We are small boats cast adrift on a cruel sea, but someday
the tide will turn toward a safe harbor. No matter how dark
the storm clouds, or deep the pain of heartbreak - never forget:
We are their heroes. 

Drawing the Line

Every time that I walk into a shelter or see requests for help and fosters on Facebook or various rescue blogs, my heart falls into my belly. Every animal deserves a home and warmth and love, but when you start realizing just how many animals there are without those basic things, it's more than overwhelming -- it's disheartening.

When Renny - the two week old drop-off - came to us, my promise to him was that he would never know what it was to be cold or afraid or unloved, regardless of how much (or little) time we had with him. When he became ill just a few weeks later, I chanted that like a prayer. The other cats had all gone into mourning and no one seemed to expect the little fella to make it through that awful time. Preparing for the worst and living through it are two dramatically different things. At one point I was holding him and rocking and crying and begging and pleading with him to eat, to drink, to just TRY...and he put his little paws on my face and hopped down and wobbled over to his food bowl on his own for the first time in days and looked back at me as if to say 'see, Mama? I'm okay.' I know -- it was a lot of pressure to put on a little fella, but it did the trick and while I must have looked like a raving lunatic, I wouldn't take back a second of it. Suffice it to say, our little Renny (so named because it means 'small & mighty' and he needed all the help he could get) is still with us and just as fearless as ever. Every time I look at him, I think of the promise that I made...and I think that he probably remembers it too.

But where do you draw the line between doing all that you can and overdoing it? I wish that I had the answer to this question and my real hope is that I'll be able to see the line as I'm about to cross it. For now, we have the means and space to provide all of the animals in our care with basic necessities plus all of the woobies and treats and tennis balls that they can stand. We're blessed and so are they. That's the point, right? To do the best you can for as long as you can to help as many as you can?

What You Should Know About Shelter Animals:

*they're not perfect. they have faults and foibles and quirks. don't your other best friends?

*they know that, because of you, their lives are no longer confined to small cages.

*they know what it's like to be afraid, and once they realize that they don't have to be any longer, they are eternally grateful.

*sometimes they don't know what treats or toys are -- the joy that you will feel from watching them learn is comparable to no other.

*they're not at their best when you first meet them: they've been living with other animals in other cages and they may or may not have had a routine or a kind word; they may be afraid to look you in the eye; they may pee on your shoe because they want you to belong to them.

*they may never have had a cushy, cozy existence inside of a house. be patient with them while they learn how to live that way.

*they do know that they may be their last hope. try walking into the kennels or cat room and then leaving without taking one of them with you; then turn around and watch every eye follow you longingly while their faces ask, 'why not me?' (no, really - try it. then go back and get one.)

*they will love you through the end of their days because they will always know on some visceral level what life was like before you showed up.

Second Chances

This life we lead is all about second chances -- Chaz and I have both had our share, and I believe that's at least part of what brought us together: the Powers That Be decided that we both deserved a little something good once we'd each been broken down and taught how to NOT take it for granted. The critters that let us share this house with them are all by-products of second chances as well. There's Edgar who was dumped out into an unforgiving neighborhood to fend for himself as a kitten; Luna who was adopted and returned to a rescue group not once but twice for being 'destructive' (for the record, 'destructive' is what happens when you bring an animal into a new home and leave it unattended for days); Lennon, who was foundering in the back of a cage after his littermates had all been adopted and he was rooming with a kitten that didn't leave much of the spotlight for him; Stella, who was surrendered to a kill-shelter but was thankfully picked up by an animal welfare group; and our precious Renny, who was brought to us as a 2 week old with little hope of making it through the night. The dogs each have their own story, but our most recent additions were both days away from having their bright lights snuffed out permanently because of overcrowding at the local animal shelter. Lucy, my 'little red fox' was found as a stray; she's an incredible little dog with a sense of entitlement and empathy for people in hospitals (I've spent a great deal of time in hospitals recently due to my Mom's illness, and it hasn't been difficult to sneak Lucy in with me for visits to brighten everyone's day). We just picked Buster up on Friday; he's been making rounds on the rescue blogs and I was hoping that when I called the shelter, they'd tell me that he'd been picked up. What they told me instead was that, while they'd tried to keep him off the chopping block, come Monday they may have no other options. We picked him up not knowing if he'd be a foster or a keeper but he's done beautifully with our pack and the way his face lights up every morning when he realizes that he gets to spend the day with the same people and animals that he did the day before makes it pretty much a no-brainer. We wanted to live on the farm so that we could live THIS life -- with all of its chaos and early mornings and stress and occasional sleepless nights and surprises -- and watching all of the critters make the most of their second chances makes every moment of it worthwhile.