A Monday Mini Me-ow

Those who give of their time and talent know how rewarding that can be, especially if it is an area that you are passionate about.  I daresay if you are reading this, your passion in some way involves animals, probably dogs, probably pit bull types and probably rescue in some way.

When my daughter was born, I had a grand idea that each year we would go and buy a toy together to donate for Toys for Tots or some similar organization and hopefully set her on a good path of a giving life.  I'm embarrassed to admit that happend exactly zero times.  On the other hand, I'm not embarrassed at all because maybe that was never my passion, but just a popular foundation that does good for a group that I thought I'd like to help.

What I am so proud of is that Asia has decided to lend her time and talents to a group that I am very supportive of, ACSPCA.  We drove together to the shelter on Saturday so she could attend orientation and I could walk some dogs, specifically You-Know-Who.

Though she likes dogs, Asia's passion is cats.  She is actually very cat-like herself and we joke that when we adopted Miko, the two of them spent his transition period in her room so he probably thinks they were adopted together.   I've spent time in the cat rooms as well, and am fascinated by the different ways people interact in there.  Some people walk around the perimeter of the room, greeting and petting each cat before settling in a chair.  I usually walk in and sit on the floor and wait to see who will approach me.  I wondered what Asia's method would be, although I had an inkling that I already could make a pretty good guess.

She and I are both pretty quiet and reserved, so I wasn't at all surprised when she told me she sat on the floor and waited for kitties to approach her. 

I think she made quite a few new friends.

October is ____ Month

I'm amazed at how many awareness type campaigns are going on this month.  I wonder what makes October so ideal for so many groups to raise awareness. September, in my mind, is the three day weekend month and if you're from the same home town as I am, then it is Blueberry Festival time.  It is also the month we have Talk Like a Pirate day.  That's pretty much the extent of my "awareness" in September. 

So, I'm sure you know that October 27  is Pit Bull Awareness Day and it is very important to us here, but we really feel that every day is Pit Bull Awareness Day.  In light of that, we will be focusing more on Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.  "Shelter" can encompass a lot and usually carries with it a negative connotation when you work with or volunteer with a Rescue.  My intention is to keep this positive and only relate my own experiences and observations while always inviting others to share their thoughts and feelings.

I've been volunteering for a few weeks now at our local SPCA office, mainly during the week.  I've found that in the midst of a bad day or in celebration of a very good day, it is therapeutic to be in the company of animals.  I've found that no matter how bad the day seems, when you walk into the kitty room and are greeted with furry faces eager to inspect the depths of your handbag or the comfort of your lap, all troubles melt away.

When I walk into the dog area, for a moment a hush falls over the room.  Though it is by no means silent, there is a noticeable hush.  A lull.  All eyes are on you as you walk past the kennels like girls lined up along the wall to dance with Fonzie.  Who will be selected?  Who gets to go outside and play or for a walk.  I stop at a door and reach for the leash that is in the basket.  All heck breaks loose! Everyone knows what this means and the lucky "winner" is excited while the unselected jump and bark at me, "No! Not him!   I want to go!  Pick me! Pick me!"

Maggie-adoptable through Smiling K9s*

There's a system in place and we volunteers know who has been walked so far and who hasn't so I always try to pick up where someone else has left off in the rotation.  Sometimes I walk a favorite just because I need to enjoy his company and once, I skipped over a young jumper as I wasn't feeling up to the task.  My biggest revelation and most profound feeling of happiness has come while doing nothing.  Walks are great and I know the dogs enjoy it but when we go out to the yard, a few will chase some balls for a bit but every last one has sat on or near my lap for some snuggle time. These pups love themselves some human companionship and every last one will stop what their doing for a snuggle which I am happy to provide. 

The thought crosses my mind quite a lot...if I could bring Ray to work or if I worked from home would my volunteer time increase or decrease?  I could make a case for both.  I doubt if I will ever have that kind of job so it is a pipe dream and until that day comes, I'll keep doing what I'm doing. 

*Had to post a pic from SK9's even though I wrote about ACSPCA today.

Testing the Waters

I'm really excited about something and I hope it goes well. As you may know, I love volunteering with my local rescue, and my ultimate wish is to foster someday.  Until that time comes, I volunteer in any other way that I can whether that be through donations of time, transport, products for auctions, other goods or any financial support I can give.  Recently I have been given the opportunity to dig deep for some creativity and I hope it pans out.

I've been reading a lot about how in many cases, the sad histories are really good for fundraising, but not always so great for generating adoption interest. 

Lars

I am by no means an expert on this and have no links handy to back this data up, but would point you maybe to Animal Farm Foundation or a shelter in California who has some really awesome descriptions of their adoptables which really got me thinking.  Can  I lend a fresh take to some of these bios?  Surprisingly, it was much more difficult than I thought to stay away from the sadder side of the story and find some positives to focus on.  I hope to hone this craft as I get more practice at it, or it may turn out that my efforts will not be satisfactory.  Whatever the outcome, the bottom line is to get these babies home, so with that in mind, I have included a link to my new endeavors to the right and also at the bottom of the page. 

Lars

These may not stay up for too long, but I'm hoping they will at least generate some interest in the adoptable dogs.