A few things you should know...

*upon entering our home, you will be greeted by a rambunctious smallish dog and a literal herd of cats (how many of one thing does it take to equal a herd?  maybe it's just a pack of cats.).  they will require your attention because you've entered not only my home, but theirs.  Lucy wants head scratches; Stella wants to hear how very pretty she is; Luna wants you to recognize that she doesn't show up for just anyone, so consider yourself graced, dammit;  Edgar desperately wants for you to ignore him so that he doesn't have to leave his current napping position; if you hang out long enough for the kittens to hear the rumor that you don't suck, Renny & Elphie may make an appearance so that you can see for yourself how stinkin' cute they are.

*once you've done the requisite head-patting and cooing, you'll surely notice that you have to step over Lucy's woobie and around Stella who's not done being pretty; you'll notice the fur-bunnies rolling across the floor like fluffy tumbleweeds even though the vacuum is plugged in nearby and has clearly seen some use;  I expect you'll notice the nose-smudges on the sliding glass doors when you go over to take in the view and please be careful not to trip over that Kurunda bed by the doors -- that's the kitties' fave hangout spot to watch the dogs and donkeys romp outside.

* if you don't want to hang out with the critters, we'll go sit on the front porch.  they don't get relegated to a separate part of the house just because you don't want a piece of fur on your pretty shirt.

*HannaBean will bark at you...a LOT.  she has social anxiety and doggie-autism and while she is a fully functioning member of this household, she doesn't know YOU...therefore you make her world off-kilter and it's all big and scary.  ignore and she'll come around...eventually.  if you raise your voice to her hoping to quiet her down, she'll bark even louder and then you'll have to hear ME raise my voice at YOU.  if you do it again, you will be asked to leave.

*our critters are good, but they are spoiled.  they are not programmed to listen to you if you try to correct them.  you are not their people.

The moral of the story is this:  the critters live here and visitors may leave at any time.

New Kids on the Block

From left to right we have:  Renea, Katherine, Sara and sweet Hannah in the background.  Renea is the leader of this pack with Katherine and Sara falling in as her second-in-command.  These three are energetic and bouncy.  Sara is a hugger once she gets into your lap but Renea and Katharine are rarely still for that long and would much rather you play with them.  Hannah is super sweet and shy.  When you earn her trust, it feels like a gift.  She is also a hugger and would happily spend any available moment in your lap.  Hannah enjoys more quiet time than the others, and when it's time to go to sleep she is at the middle of the puppy pile!  All of them enjoy Kong balls and couldn't care less whether or not they're stuffed with goodies but each of them are still learning how to play after growing up in a crate.  These little girls are all well on their way to being housebroken and are not subtle about letting you know that they need to go nownownow!  Because of being raised in a crate for much of their life, everything is still exciting and new for them and it's both a joy and a wonder to watch them learn about all of the good that the world has to offer!

puppies'r'us

Today, we completed our first successful foster and sent Mustang on his way.  I imagine that there were plenty of folks out there that imagined we'd find a way or a reason to keep him with us (because that certainly wouldn't be unheard of!), but no -- as I type this, he is just a few hours away from his brand new forever home.  I'm going to get teary-eyed (AGAIN) if I start writing about goodbyes, but suffice it to say that he made a place in our hearts and he will be missed. 

We'd no more than gotten him loaded up before we started loading in four 9-month old puppies.  They are littermates and completely adorable and terribly shy...and  our only job for the week that we have them is to give them all of the attention that they can stand.  It's kind of hard to go wrong there!

Is it wrong to want to throw myself a baby shower?  'Cause I kinda do.  I mean, there's the obvious reason:  every animal that comes through this house gets a leash and a bowl and woobies and chewies and whatever their little hearts desire while they reside here.  Some of those things are recyclable and some of them are not and none of those things come cheap.  The not so obvious reason is pride:  I feel *proud* of what we're doing here; I'm *proud* of the progress that Mustang made while he was with us and I'm proud of these little girls for not chewing apart their soft crate after a hella morning.  I look at my sweet bottle-baby, Renny, and I think, "you are one of my greatest accomplishments."  I want to celebrate all of those triumphs and milestones with other people who *get it*.  Or....maybe I just want to see the look on peoples' face when I hand them a shower announcement.  ;-)

...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?