Friends of Somerset Regional Animal Shelter
Volunteer 'Family' Stories
Our
volunteer members share their stories on
how
they came to be part of the FOSRAS "Family"
(By the way...we're always on the lookout for more relatives!)
|
The only reason I went to SRAS is because they were on the list on the
"Snuggles for Homeless Animals" website as a shelter who
needed snuggles. I went to the shelter to measure cat cages and dog runs
so I would know what size to crotchet. I had volunteered for many years
at another shelter and was "done" with that.
The Lord above had other plans............................ Benita |
| MY
STORY, OR HOW I CAME TO FOSRAS
I guess you could say that my road to the shelter and FOSRAS was a long and sometimes bumpy ride, but an interesting adventure nonetheless. My first time ever into a shelter was 1984. I lived with my sisters and we decided to adopt a cat. Off to Plainfield Area Humane we went. I remember standing in the cat room with my sister Anne, both of us sobbing. Mainly because there were so many, how did you choose? Turns out Marvelanne chose us. She tapped us on the shoulder and next thing you know she was in a cat carrier going home. They told us the tortie in the next cage was her mom, but we came for one cat and left with one. Two days later we were back and got Honeybear or The Bear. After that visit I vowed never to step into a shelter ever, ever again. Much too sad I thought. Kept my word for 16 years. Fast forward to 1997, when I started volunteering with Open Your Heart, a cat rescue group in Hillsborough. After looking for a while for a group to volunteer with, I decided OYH fit the bill; I could help cats which I loved, and never have to step into an animal shelter. Until, Shelley, the president of OYH, called one August day and asked if I would go with her to a meeting in Stirling. A group of people were meeting to see about trying to shut down an animal shelter for reasons too many to list. The last straw came when the owner shut the shelter's doors to any rescue groups that August which was essentially a death sentence to all the animals there. I went, Shelley never went back, and I continued to go, meeting weekly for six months. In March of 2000, the owner of that shelter was charged with over 650 counts of animal cruelty, fined, ordered to shut his business, and never open an animal related business again. It was the first time an animal shelter had ever been shut down in the state. It took the collective efforts of a group of people who were determined. All 19 animal control contracts were placed with other shelters or facilities. During this time, I found out that the borough of Manville had given their notice and was ending their contract with SRAS. They were probably going to contract with the very same shelter we were trying to shut down. Something had to be done. So I attended many council meetings. I spoke before them, along with the owner of said shelter, who by the way later that evening threatened to sue me, then called me at work the next day and threatened me again. I called the borough hall on a regular basis. I put petitions in all the local businesses and weekend after weekend I went door to door in various neighborhoods getting my petition signed. I couldn't let on all that I knew about the other shelter, as most of what we were doing to shut it down was "under cover" and would jeopardize the investigation. Anyway, in December of 1999, Manville decided to renew their contract with SRAS and has been there since. In that same month the borough administrator called me and asked if I'd like to sit on the SRAS board for Manville. I politely declined, said I had no experience, it wasn't my intention to be on a board, etc. The mayor and council felt that since I had showed so much interest in SRAS through my efforts I was the person for the job. I felt I had to say okay. So here I am, newly appointed to the shelter board, and still had managed not to step foot in a shelter. Yup, did all that without even seeing where SRAS actually was or walking in the door. We lost both our cats in 1999, and come January 2000, we were ready to adopt again. Joe's only request was that one was a tortie. So the first time I stepped into the SRAS was to adopt a cat. There were nine cats in adoption, no torties. Finally wound up back at PAHS where I adopted Sophie Mae because she yelled at me in this horrid voice and Darla solely because she was a tortie. I first started volunteering at the shelter in February of 2000. After attending the first board meeting and finding out that I'd have to make decisions on salaries and some policies I felt I could not do this without at least spending some time in the shelter. I'd come in Saturdays and Sundays and stay all day. And I loved it. It became a passion. I've since attended conferences and classes on animal welfare just to learn as much as I can. I've met and become good friends with many other volunteers and people from this field. I started volunteering out of sense of duty being a board member. I continued because I fell in love with it. During this time, I spoke with Diana Jeffrey a friend and an attorney, who I had met through the shelter-closing group. She planted the FOSRAS seed in my mind. I learned that a group of volunteers could incorporate and become the fundraising arm of the shelter as the shelter could not fundraise on it's own. I also spoke at length with Lynn Lawson, who formed a similar group, Second Chance for Franklin Animal Shelter and learned a lot from her. I mentioned this idea to the other volunteers and we all decided to go for it. Our first meeting was at Gretchen's house in 2002 where we discussed becoming a non-profit corporation. None of us really knew what we were doing, but we forged ahead anyway. We knew that in order to become 501© (3) we'd have to incorporate. Jonathan Rosenberg, founder of Tabby's Place, was a volunteer with SRAS at the time, offered to fill out the paperwork. I remember standing in the shelter office filling paperwork one Saturday morning. I think that is where we picked officers, Joan was pres., Jonathon, VP, Gretchen secretary, and Alice, treasurer. It was pretty much whoever was there, got appointed to something. We met a number of times after that hashing out the bylaws. Diana, who is an attorney, reviewed everything for us. We filed in the spring of 2002 and became official in July 2002. I don't think any of us had any idea what we were doing or where we were headed. I still am amazed everyday at what we've accomplished. All because a group of us cared enough to take the time to make a difference. And what a difference we all have made. I'm still not sure where we are headed, or at times what we are doing, but we are learning as we go. So far I think we done good. For the record over this time period I managed to adopt a bunch of other cats. I took Audrey here to my office sometime in 2000. She had only a partial leg due to an injury. We had the rest of her leg amputated. I fell in love with her and she is now an office cat because she hates, hates, hates other cats and can't go to my home. Jackson, 6 months old at the time in Jan. 2001, had a chronic bladder infection and kept peeing blood. He was basically unadoptable, so I took him from SRAS to "foster" him. By the way, on a total wet food diet, he has been clear of all bladder infections ever since. Mrs. B. was an old black cat that kept yelling at me from the iso room came home in 2001 and lived with us for a year until she peacefully died. Junior, about 13, came the fall of 2002 because he kept throwing up daily. Tests run by the shelter failed to turn up a cause. Turns out it was stress and he is a happy boy now. In Feb. 2002 I offered to foster Foots, who was from OYH. He had IBD and chronic diarrhea. Through much trial and error and many vet visits he is in remission for about a year. We adopted him in Oct. of 2002. That was the same month I fostered Andie Rae and her sister for the shelter, here at the office. I was about to return Andie to the shelter after her spay when my husband said he wanted to keep her. See, she is chocolate brown and he thought it would be different to have such an exotic looking cat. So we adopted her too. And that is the long, very long, version of how I wound up with SRAS and FOSRAS and the proud mama of a total of 7 cats. KathyH |
| I grew up
with cats almost always in our home. But living in rentals for a long
time, I never got any pets when I moved out on my own. When I married my
husband Jim in 1992, I had a 6 year old daughter Margaret & he had a
6 year old cat Max, an especially lovable, laid back tortie.. When
Margaret was 16 she decided she needed a kitten. We said no, Max hates
other cats. One day she appeared at our door with a tiny male kitten,
after a lot of yelling, we decided to give him a chance. It took less
than 24 hours for him to charm us all (except for Max). She named him
Felix. As Max became more & more elderly, and I spent a lot of
time caring for her & giving her special privileges and areas of the
home away from Felix, she passed on in April of 2003. I didn't
think there could ever be a cat as special as her but after a month
or so, I figured Felix really needed another cat that could actually be
a playmate to him. At 2 yrs. young, I saw him becoming quite lazy.
Well, nobody else cared, but I figured another tortie would be a good thing. Max had gotten me hooked. I casually looked at petfinder not in any particular hurry. I had been reading the critters page for a long time, & one Saturday opened it up to see a little tortie up for adoption (polydactyl too). I made my way over to St. Huberts at my lunchhour to see her the following Tuesday. By that Thursday, I was taking her home. We called her Roxy, she was 9 months old, the perfect playmate. But during my many trips to St. Huberts (Joann & I took a few luhch hours to look for a cat for her too), I became quite curious at what goes on there, & realized they had volunteers petting the cats & stuff. I was kinda enjoying visiting that cat room, even though I had no purpose. Somehow SRAS kept coming up, the critters page.... Karen at public works.... she told me about her cats after I commented on her picture when picking up my dump tickets. Of course it was a Monday, so I could not stop over. Next I was at the Manville street fair and met Diva and Donna Z at the table. My husband patiently waited while I checked out the pictures of the pets at the shelter, grabbed volunteer info, put a dollar in the jar, & yakked about shelters with them. Next thing I did was visit the shelter when it was open (lunch hour again) & met up w/Diva in the lobby & learned a bit about why she started to volunteer & the facility there. Ok, that was it, after thinking about it for months, I finally attended volunteer orientation in October 2003 and decided Sunday's were good for me as far as spare time is concerned. So there I am almost every Sunday in the cat room working with Stacy. As soon as there was a FOSRAS meeting I had to go to meet all these people that kept emailing all this stuff! Glad I did, what a great group to be a part of! I have been learning lots & lots ever since & love it. Seems to me there's a common thread to most of our stories, some animal who caught at our hearts led us here. A stray or an old or new pet. . In my case it was both Max & Roxy......& then the great people (both staff & volunteers) make you want to stay. Joan B |
| Hi
Everyone- Well I guess it's our turn to share our story. It's actually a pre-FOSRAS story. Over 6 years ago I (Chris) went to the Gaston Ave Bakery in Somerville to buy a Valentine's Day dessert for Gretchen. Once I left, I found a Pomeranian running in the middle of the street and I pulled over and picked her up and went door to door to see if anyone knew her or her owners. I had no luck and I was going to be late for work and didn't know what to do with this dog. Then I remembered that there was an animal shelter near the mall, I went there and explained how I found the dog and they took down all of my info & said that they would take care of her & try to find her owner. Years later it was revealed to me that the employees thought I owned the dog & was just dumping her, but they changed their minds when I called the following week to see how the dog was doing & to see if they needed any volunteers to walk dogs. I have been hooked on the shelter ever since, I walked dogs for several years and Gretchen would come in every weekend to clean cat cages. My dog at the time was over 10 years old and didn't care to go on long walks anymore, so I figured I could help out some dogs by getting them out of their kennels for several hours. Then I was asked to work at
the shelter and officially became an Animal Control Officer. I have had
a lot of "interesting" situations since I have become an ACO
and I have learned a lot about animals & animal behavior & I am
still amazed at how many caring people there are in this world. Of
course being an ACO we also see the neglect and abuse that occurs in our
area. I am proud to be associated with SRAS because I know we do
everything in our power to ensure that each animal gets a chance at a
better life. We now have 3 SRAS alumni and we hope that our love for
animals and animal welfare will rub off on our daughter. She is already
enamored with our pets and we hope that she will always love &
respect all forms of life. Hooray for FOSRAS & SRAS and I hope
we will continue to do good work for many years to come !!!!! |
| Well,
mine is a sad story, but with a happy ending. I started to
volunteer with Open Your Heart, that is how I met Kathy H. So, over the
summer, I got a knock at my door and some lady and her daughter asked me
if I had a big, black and white cat and I said yes, but he is inside.
Well, then I panicked, because he wasn't. They told me that they saw him
get hit by a car and I lost it! They had brought him to Belle Mead
Animal Hospital and he was not doing well. So, after a couple of hours
of being by his side, he began to fade away. I will never forget the
last time he picked up his head and looked at me, as if he was saying
Bye Mom. It still breaks my heart to talk about this. His name was
Maurice and he was the cat love of my life, he was my boy and losing him
till this day tears me up inside, he was only 7 and such an amazing cat.
Well, a couple of weeks went by and I was very depressed and did not feel right not having a cat with me. So, I had heard Kathy talk about the shelter at an OYH mtg. and I decided to look it up on PetFinder, well I did and that is when I saw Barry, who looks just like Maurice, but with medium hair. So, I told my mom I just wanted to check the shelter out as well as Barry. No cat will EVER replace my Maurice. I wanted to give another little guy a home and try to fill the void in the heart. My mom kept telling me it was too soon to go look, but I was insistent upon it! When ,we got to the shelter to see Barry, he was in the back, due to his ear infection. So, I just wanted to look in the cat room, I looked at Chunk (female, tuxedo), but then I saw this little gray and black tabby cat, who was ramming his head into the front of the cage and trying to reach my shoulder with his little paw! I looked at him and said, he is the one, he was a little nut in his cage and chirping away! Well, we brought him home and he fit right in, he took over the house in no time and that is how I came to SRAS and met my Maverick James! I love animals, always have, and helping them out is something that is very important to me. Maverick has a lot of the same traits that Maurice had and that makes me smile and feel like a little piece of him is still with me. FOSRAS and the shelter staff are truly amazing people, who are making a difference in the lives of many animals and I am very grateful to have joined the group. Nicole :-) |
| How I
Became Part of FOSRAS (by Pat)
I live in a two-family house on Adamsville Road in Bridgewater. The owners live downstairs, and I live upstairs. I moved there in 2000 after living for 5 ½ years in an apartment complex in Piscataway with my cat, Kiwi. The lease said NO PETS, yet 65% of the residents there have pets. The management found out I had a cat and BLAM – out the door I went. The owners of my house are NOT animal people, but we have a mutual friend and he convinced them that Kiwi and I were OK. So we got the apartment. In August, 2002, one Friday morning around 4:30 am, I awoke to a dog barking. I thought, "What idiot let their dog out at 4:30 in the morning and lets it bark and bark?" When I got up to look, I realized that the dog was in my backyard. I went downstairs, and my landlady Connie opened her door from her kitchen into my stairway (all indoors) and said "Pat – what are we going to do? There’s a big dog outside barking." I opened my door (the screen door was still closed) and I saw this great big Rottweiler-Black Lab mix barking up at me. I yelled "SSSHHHH – be quiet!" And he stopped barking immediately and started wagging his tail and wiggling his behind. I knew right away this was a big mush. I told Connie all was OK – he’ll be quiet and go away. Well, at 6am Connie was at my door – he’s still out there! I got some of Kiwi’s cat food and a bowl of water and went outside. The dog was so happy to see me – and MORE happy to see some food and water. They were gone in an instant! I sat down on the lawn chair and he came over and plopped his head in my lap. I pet him and he closed his eyes and practically crawled up into my lap to take a nap. I knew I had to do something. I called the police to come over and pick him up. They asked me to put him in a shed or garage until 9am when the Animal control office came on duty. I told him I didn’t think my landlady would go for that. How about I drive him over to the shelter now? He said OK – he’d get the on-call ACO to open the shelter. The dog followed me to my car and hopped right in when I opened the back door. He sat so nice and looked out the window. He wanted to go for a ride. I got to the shelter and the cop met me and opened the side door. But when he went to get the dog, the dog did not want to go with him. I had to pull him by his collar out of the car and into the shelter. The other dogs were barking, which scared the poor guy. I put him in the bathroom and closed the door. When I got in my car I burst into tears – I had betrayed his trust and I did not know what was to become of him. I must have called the shelter two or three times a day for a week to check on him. I sent in a donation and put out flyers in my neighborhood announcing FOUND – but no one answered. A few weeks later I saw his picture on Petfinder. The shelter named him Shadow, then the next time I looked he was called Bubba (this guy was really a Bubba). I was so happy to see they didn’t put him down. The best part was the day I looked and saw ADOPTED next to his name. I felt so pleased that I had a hand in finding a home for him. In October my dear, sweet Kiwi became so ill I had to have her euthanized. I was absolutely devastated. She was euthanized on Monday, Oct. 21. I thought I’d wait until after Thanksgiving before looking for another cat. Well, I could not stand coming home. I was so lonely, it was unbearable. I started looking on Petfinder for cats. That Saturday, Oct. 26, I walked into SRAS to see two cats: Twinkle (a gray and white) and Taren (a calico). Well, I walked right into that year’s Howl-a-ween Adoptathon. The place was packed – the Girl Scouts were in the lobby with goodies to eat and also goodies for the adopted pets. I looked around in the cat room and found Twinkle in the bottom row and Taren right over her in the middle row. Twinkle was right up in the front of her cage, Taren was plastered to the back of her cage. I put my hand in Twinkle’s cage and she rubbed against my fingers. I put my hand in Taren’s cage and she stared away from it. I walked away and looked at one other cat, Julia. Then I went back to look at Twinkle and Taren again. I felt so bad for Taren, I made up my mind right then – she’d come home with me. The staff member who helped me that day was Chris. He took my application back for approval, then came in with the cat carrier. I started to giggle – I was so relieved to not be grieving for the moment. I had to borrow a beer flat and some litter because I threw everything away earlier that week. Chris had to wrangle Taren into the box – she was feral-like. Chris later told me Taren came into the shelter with a neck full of BB’s – someone was using her for target practice. Taren YOWLED in the car all the way home. I showed Connie my new friend – she was as surprised as me at how soon I got a new cat, but it was OK. I went upstairs and when I opened the cat carrier there was an explosion of cat – Taren FLEW out and went right under the bed. I set up her litter box in the corner of my bedroom, put some water out, then went to PetSmart and spent over $100 buying cat food, a litter box, a bed, a window seat, a scratching post, toys, yada yada yada. That night I was watching TV when Taren came out exploring. She was stretching her neck into the living room to look at me. She gingerly walked over to my recliner and rubbed her face on it. At that moment Touched By An Angel came on and the episode title was "Like A Feather On The Breath Of God." I started to cry and said, "Your name is Feather." The next month I sent a note and some pictures to the shelter (one is still on our Happy Ever After board). I came in at Christmas with a donation and some Dunkin Donuts for the staff and volunteers. That’s when I mentioned to either Corrina or Melissa that I was interested in helping out. They gave me some literature, I was in the orientation in January 2003, and VOILA! You all know the rest of the story. I am grateful to be part of FOSRAS and SRAS – you are all special people and have enriched my life in many ways. We are together for a noble cause, and the furry friends are not the only ones who benefit from our actions. Thank you all ! Pat |
| I've
always been a huge animal lover. I grew up with cats and dogs, and my
mom is a volunteer at Sayrebrook Animal Shelter. Of course I inherited
the animal-lover gene from
her, and I currently have 5 cats a dog. I began looking
for a shelter to volunteer at in the fall of 1999 and came across
SRAS on petfinder. I emailed
Christine, who told me to come on over and check
them out. So over I went with some donations, filled out my application,
and started coming in to socialize cats and walk dogs after work
on Thursdays and help clean some Saturday mornings.
That summer, Christine and Audrey (the manager at the time) asked me if I wanted a summer job, since I am a teacher. They were very short staffed, and the summers are crazy with the numbers of cats and kittens coming in, as well as animal control calls. I did, in fact, need a summer job and began working a few days a week there. I started becoming more and more familiar with the everyday workings of the shelter and learning more and more about animal behavior, ferals, wildlife, etc. I quickly found out just how difficult it can be working at an animal shelter. I've worked there for four summers now, and this summer will hopefully be my fifth. I also work on Saturdays, as you all know. Our little volunteer group grew slowly, and as we all got to know one another better, we decided to try to do more for the shelter. There were constant fears of us being shut down and not having enough money, we were always short staffed, and we weren't nearly as well known or supported as we are now. I remember our first pre-FOSRAS meeting at Chris and Gretchen's house when we decided to form a 501c3 group. Kathy was tireless in her crusade to help the shelter, and although none of us really knew what we were doing, we all came together under her leadership and did the best we could. Gradually our group grew, we achieved 501c3 status, and well, you all know the rest. It is so amazing to see how far we've come in such a short period of time. We have a great group of volunteers, our staff is dedicated and knowledgeable, our animals get the best care possible, and we are only getting better. The word is spreading about our shelter and FOSRAS, as is evident in the donations we receive and traffic coming in and out of our doors every week. I am proud to be a part of this wonderful group, and I thank all of you for everything you do for the shelter and its beloved animals. Delia = ) |
| Hi
All, Since many of the other "old-timers" have shared their stories I thought I should share mine. Sorry if this is a little long and if I bore people who have heard all of this already. I started as a volunteer in 1997. I came to the shelter to walk dogs because I missed having a dog and couldn't have one in my apartment. When I started, there were very few dog walkers. As with many others, their was one dog that sucked me in. Her name was Thunder, a 10 month old Shepherd/Lab mix who was surrendered because she was too much dog for the family. She was quite a hyper girl, liked to jump, tugged on my clothes, and played tug of war rather violently with the leash. But I liked her. (Tough cases seem to be a theme with me.) Audrey, the manager at the time, was afraid she was starting to go cage crazy because the other dog walkers were afraid of her and she was in her run 24/7. So I started coming in every morning before work (I worked afternoons and evenings) and I walked and worked with Thunder. That was the first time I started to learn about dog training. A couple of weeks later Thunder was adopted. When she left the shelter she had learned how to walk on a leash and how to sit. I was incredibly proud of her and incredibly hooked. About a year later the manager offered me a part time position. I took it thinking that since I was there almost everyday anyway, I might as well get paid for it. About a year after that I was offered a full time position. It required huge changes for me and my family and friends thought that I was nuts for leaving my 'real job.' At the time, I thought that I'd work at the shelter for a year, just for the experience of doing it, and then move on. Well, nine months after that, the manager resigned. The position was offered to me but I didn't want it. I saw what the last manager went through and told them to find someone else. To make a long story short, several months later I ended up accepting the position. Although I know the shelter can be better, I look back and can't believe how far we've come. During the first year or so we had very little staff and what staff we had thought that showing up for work each day was an option, not a requirement. I don't care to remember how many 12 to 15 hour days I worked my first year at the shelter. Cleaning cat cages 7 o'clock at night! Trying to clean, run animal control calls, and HOPEFULLY open for adoptions. Plus take the overnight calls. It was completely insane. I don't know how we survived. But we started to actively look for staff and volunteers. Kathy Healey had just started as a Board member and had offered to actually help try to make things better. That was unheard of. Back then I was told that a group like FOSRAS was needed but would never happen. I was told repeatedly that volunteers and staff were not reliable enough. Way back then, I suppose there was some truth to that statement but we have definitely proved them wrong. Sometimes I look around and I am truly amazed by what we have accomplished. We have a caring, reliable staff and numerous volunteers that come in everyday to walk our dogs and help in many ways at the shelter. Then we have FOSRAS, the group that I was told would never happen, is now organized and has made huge strides in many ways. Off site adoptions, shelter awareness, fundraising, special events. I have always believed that SRAS is a very special place where animals get a chance that they would not be allowed in another facility. Although there is a lot of work ahead of us, I believe that if we all work together, SRAS can have a very bright future. Christine |
| Hi
Everyone: Very nice to read all
the stories. My story is that I had been volunteering for about a year with a local rescue group helping out with off-site adoptions every weekend. As much as I loved helping in that respect, I wanted to do a bit more. I often thought about volunteering at a shelter, but was a bit afraid to venture into one, not knowing what I’d see. My good friend, Joe, ACO for the Bernardsville Pound, had read that there was a SRAS meeting at the Bridgewater Commons (I think that was in the early Fall of 2001). One of the local newspapers was covering the shelter’s story with regard to the shelter’s need for ACOs and additional staff). So we went. After the meeting, I stayed and met Kathy H and briefly spoke with her about volunteering. She encouraged me to come to the shelter. I went and have been going ever since. I too have learned a lot, have met, and am still meeting incredibly kind and caring people. I enjoy helping out in any way I can to keep that shelter going and caring for the animals. Most of all I enjoy making it comfortable for the animals; feeding them, cleaning the cages, scrubbing dishes, preparing litter boxes, etc. When you go there often, you cannot help but fall in love with all of them and feel that though you cannot take them all home, they still all belong to you! I have 4 kitties from SRAS; Will (Skilly Wills) and Jack (Snacky Jacks) both of whom Gretchen and Chris fostered – they are my little earth angels – both are B&W, they are bonded brothers, and you can cradle them in your arms! The will be 3 years old this spring. Then I have Lucy and Henry (my little wobblers – they have cerebellum hypoplasia but they don’t think there’s anything wrong with them- they run around like little maniacs!) They will be 2 years old this spring. Lucy an Henry are from different litters and were my fosters, but after 5 months of fostering them, I decided they'd be best staying with me. And lastly, but really first, my Gigi, a gray and white striped tiger, soon to be 8 years old on April 2nd, who was given to me as a kitten when I lived in Maryland. She’s still wondering if the other 4 are ever going to leave! We are one big happy cat family!!!!! Pamela |
| As
promised, a little bit about me:
I live in Whitehouse Station. Married for 24 years with twin 20-year old sons--one at Rutgers, New Bruns., one at Temple U. in Phila. I am a legal secretary and have been for more years than I care to count. I own an 8 year old Whippet (whippets are similar to Greyhounds) named Cody, and two torties---Teaka (born in 2000) and Mia (born in 2002). Teaka was adopted at PetSmart, Mia was adopted through Petfinder from a rescue group in Staten Island. My interesting adoption story applies to Mia: after having adopted Teaka in January, 2001, my husband was jealous that Teaka "really loved me" and only tolerated him (LOL) so he decided he wanted a tortie of his own (and this from a man who never had a pet until he married me!) I found a very pretty tortie online and contacted the Staten Island rescue group that had her. However, after speaking to her foster mom, and having listened to the fact that I had a dog, she suggested this might not be the cat for me,,,but she would like to direct me to ANOTHER tortie they had that was being fostered with another volunteer. I contacted that volunteer by phone and talked extensively of my home and pets, etc. She said "Elizabeth" sounded like just the ticket for me: calm, unflappable, a real love, full of purr and even liked to have her belly tickled (one of my qualifications for picking an adult cat is---will they let me cradle them like a baby--most cats won't, but any cat that lets you cradle him/her like a baby, is most likely a temperment-gem.) Anyway, I convinced my husband to take a ride out to Staten Island on Labor Day, 2002 to see "Elizabeth". He thought I was crazy going that far, but I told him that this cat was expertly assessed and sounded so perfect. He agreed to go, but reminded me he wanted a cat that "loved him". So, long story short, we go to the foster mom of "Elizabeth" and we're shown downstairs to a room where Elizabeth and others were kept. She pointed Elizabeth out, and I picked her up. She immediatley snuggled up to me, and I was hooked right there. My husband was tickling Elizabeth's chin and he was all smiles, but told me the proof would be how she reacted when HE held her. I was SO sure this was the right cat (held her like a baby, she closed her eyes and started to purr and let me scratch her belly without any protests.) When I placed her in my husband's arms, I was a LITTLE nervous, praying she'd like him. WELL---my husband held her against his chest, and she immediately put both paws around his neck and started licking his beard. END OF STORY. LOL. Elizabeth then became Mia and loves my husband dearly, as well as everyone else in the world. I am very into temperment-testing any animal that comes to live with us. It has helped me make the best decisions and we have 3 lovely pets that are a joy to live with. I am also a firm believer that children should be raised with pets. It makes them more empathetic. I came to
volunteer with SRAS when my sons were off at college and I decided I
wanted to do something with some of my new spare time. I went to
St. Hubert's (which is only 2 miles from my house) and they told me that
they had all the volunteers for Saturdays that they need (I can't
volunteer during the week as I work 9-5.) I was pretty
disappointed and stopped looking to volunteer--I was pretty turned
off. Then, about a year later, I started thinking of volunteering
again and remembered the good feeling I got when I went to SRAS when we
were looking to add a tortie and they weren't far from home. Then,
as coincidence would have it, we were at a Friday night cruise in
Somerville, I met Donna Z. who was so warm and so WELCOMING.
I completed an application, attended an orientation and started
volunteering on Saturdays. It's been a wonderful experience, and
alot of it has to do with the organization of this volunteer group
(thank you KathyH) and, especially, the great people that volunteer and
work at this shelter. Robi |
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February 27th, 2004 |
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My first reaction - and it lasted for a couple of
weeks - was that 'there's a shelter right here, why do I have to go to
any of these places and import a dog?' but I realized soon after that my
local shelter wasn't going to be able to meet my particular needs for a
pooch anytime soon. I had left my name, but they didn't seem too
interested in letting me know when a dog came in that might be good for
our family. So, one very very very cold and dreary winter day (and I remember that so well because my car decided just that morning on the way to the shelter to not give me any heat that day - the first time it had ever done that) in February, 2002 I decided that that was the day I was going to visit every darn shelter on that list until I found a dog that we could make a member of our family. After getting a bit lost, I finally made it to the shelter - at 10:45. Of course they weren't about to let me in and look around, they asked politely if I would come back at 12 when they opened. I frowned, thinking I didn't want to sit in my cold car for over an hour, and I sure as heck didn't want to drive a long way to another shelter without any heat, so I went to the mall (which, for anybody who knows me, isn't my favorite thing to do). I walked around the mall, muttering to myself that I was really insane for wanting to have another animal - this time one who needed to be walked and cleaned up after...Anyway, at 11:45 I walked back to my car, talking to my dad in my mind, and telling him that he had to help me pick out a good candidate for our household, (Dad had always been the one to bring home the pets when I was small, he was a great animal lover). Well, not to make this another chapter of War and Peace... I went back to the shelter. Jaime said that there was only one dog that met the criteria I told her I was looking for (not too large, housebroken, won't eat my cats). I remember that the runs were pretty filled that day, but I only focused on this white and orange Brittany Spaniel mix that she pointed to. I was sorta transfixed. A beloved neighbor who had just transferred back to Ohio had owned a Britt that had become a fixture at our house and in our yard every day for the last 4 years until they moved... and she didn't have a cropped tail either, just like the one I was looking at in the dog run that day! I shook my head, saying to my dad that this better not be a joke, that this dog better be as sweet and trustworthy. Jaime asked if I'd like to walk her, as she hadn't been out yet that morning (this was in the days before Benita started volunteering there, and I know I didn't see Patty that day). She handed me the leash and that was the beginning of this adventure. |
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When I
finally took her home a little later that day, little did I know that
this tiny little shelter with the big heart would become such a big and
wonderful part of my life. That sunny, warm afternoon a few months later
when Benita dropped that wish list in my mailbox probably wouldn't have
garnered such a quick response from me had it not been SRAS that she was
asking for donations for. I had been so impressed with SRAS in just one
visit... well, how could I *not* respond? Anyway, the rest of the story is pretty well known, so I won't bore you any more with those details. But I just wanted to let you know that my family is planning on celebrating this wonderful anniversary of the day Zorra came into our lives and brought us so much joy... and I wanted you all to know that we will also lift up our sparkling cider glass to the wonderful volunteers and workers at our little shelter. For without that fateful day and the good care and much love that my Zorra received there, we would have not known this particular joy that has meant so much to us these last two years. Happy Two Years! Diva |
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