Operation Pet Salvation
Beauty is In the One Eye of the Beholder
It Takes a Community to Save a Life
A huge sigh of relief, was followed by reflection this morning. I have just gotten word that Remy, our blind baby, has reached her new home safely. But what it took to get her there speaks directly to the beauty of a huge rescue community willing to "go that extra mile".
It took the Sussex County Chapter of the Delaware SPCA to provide gentle, loving care for Remy until a home was found and arrangements made. Others may have been tempted to put her down.
Her story was spread instantly across the Internet thanks to various rescue groups usually working with huskies, golden retrievers, great danes, and scotties. Offers of help in many forms poured in from Buddies for Bullies in Need, Tails of the Tundra, Blind Dog Rescue and Rocky Ridge Rescue. Prayers, best wishes, good thoughts and advice came from all over the US,.... San Francisco, Georgia, Texas, Philly, Allentown, Lewes, and countless points in between. Her Petfinder listing received 943hits in one week and we received and answered 70+ emails on her behalf.
During her foster visit with Operation Pet Salvation, Remy feasted on food provided by Animal Rescue League. She sported a snappy looking Harley Davidson collar provided by the Betton family. She slept in a crate from Hope Habitat.
Her ride home marked the maiden voyage for a Jeep donated to Hope Habitat by Carol A. Tavani, M.D. On the trip, Caela provided Remy with love and attention, while her mother Heidi, drove and neighbor Kathy, navigated.
As I watched Remy board her "limo" for her trip home, I was proud to be a member of a community such as ours that comes together in such divergent ways to accomplish a single task.... saving just one more life.
Just a special footnote.... Through the generous energies of Hope Habitat, and Remy's new family, three rats and one sheltie also found their way to loving new homes along the way.
Remy Sees the Love in Our Hearts
It started simply enough.... a warm nose pushed through the gate of pen 53 sniffing for a gentle hand. But Remy was different. You see, she was born with no eyes and no color pigment in most of her face. I have to admit she wasn't the prettiest dog at the shelter. But her story grabbed my hearts and a few appeals to all the animal lovers over the Internet spread like wildfire. Offers to help came from across the country, Ohio, Texas, New York, Connecticut, San Francisco, Alabama. The list continues to build.
A careful review of all offers for homes was done and a home with an experienced rescue group and family has been selected that provides what we believe is the best of all worlds for this lovable girl. She's a lucky girl to have so many of you open your hearts to her.
Your countless offers of help and support have been passed along to Remy's new family and they may be contacting you for advice or help.
I'll keep you posted and keep your fingers crossed that our girl is surrounded by just as much love for the rest of her life.
We had her out for a play session yesterday and you could almost hear her giggles as she rolled in the grass and wanted to romp like the big lovable pup she is. It was a great sight to see. I'm looking forward to visiting her today to tell her the good news. She's a lucky girl who deserves our best.
8/10/02 Remy will be sprung from the shelter this weekend and will soon be united with her new family. She has been a happy girl this week despite a delay in her transport and has shown a great love for ice cream cones, thanks to a generous kennel staffer!
Mini Series: Tails of Blossom
Scene One: 16 year old female Chihuahua pines away in a shelter pen after being dropped at the shelter by the relatives of this dog's lifelong owner one day after the funeral.
Scene Two: Soft Hearted Fool (Me) enters shelter to find Blossom scared and growling. She sits and talks quietly with Blossom who then begins to whimper her sad tale and tremble uncontrollably while crying "I want my momma!" Soft Hearted Fool whispers a promise to Blossom "I promise your life will not end like this!"
Scene Three: SHF returns home to start a far flung search for a suitable family or retirement home for Blossom. Within two hours responses begin coming in.......... one reiterating how hard shelter time is for elderly dogs.
Scene Four: SHF returns to shelter with carrier and leash only to discover that some new volunteer has ignorantly approached Blossom too quickly and gotten nipped. (Barely a scratch.) But the KHSD (kindhearted shelter director) allows SHF to take Blossom to her house for the quarantine period of ten days. Meanwhile, a KH woman, sees Blossom at the shelter and is considering adopting her when the period is up. (But we all know, out of sight, out of mind.)
Scene Five: Blossom blissfully hops in the front seat of the car (a definite NO-NO), arrives to do her business right on the front yard entrance and takes a long overdue nap in the guest bathroom glad to do her "time" here rather than at the shelter.
Scene Six: Blossom awakens refreshed and asks to go out to add to her pile by the door. Unfortunately, she is using her rekindled energy to try to head towards a home that no longer exists. It's as if she is saying, "just let me go, I can walk home. Come on, I'll show you the way." When I force her to turn back to the house, she stops at the car with hopeful expression. "Oh, good, I'd rather you drive me there. Come on, get in. I'll tell you the way." Back in the house she continually whimpers to be taken out so she can raise her nose to the winds searching for any clue that will get her closer to home.
Inside we need to go through the trust building exercise every time I re-enter the room. Head down and eyes popping in fear, she listens to sympathetic cooing and slowly approaches my resting hand. She slowly responds and again tells her woeful tale. The shivering finally subsides as she nudges her way onto my lap.
Scene Seven: After a very heart breaking evening of shivering and whimpering, Blossom finally curled up in a little ball and slept soundly. She still isn't eating.
Scene Eight: Blossom took her first bite of food in three days. On her evening stroll, her one inch twisted and curled nails on her front feet got tangled together and she couldn't get them unlocked. Gratefully two great friends were here and patiently and gently trimmed them. After her initial panic subsided, Blossom complained at the painful procedure but never tried to bite... even when they had to cut nails which had grown through the pads of her foot? What a sweetie! She came in and polished off a full bowl of food.
Scene Nine: We are now greeting each other without the usual trust building intro. She pretty much ignores my cat and has given up growling at my dog. Beaugus is being most patient as Blossom has usurped his usual resting place at my feet when I am at the computer.
Scene Ten: Sad to say there has been no word from the woman who was thinking of adopting her at the shelter. Blossom has received countless inquiries from as far away as Texas! But no offer to adopt yet. She listens hopefully to every email about her and looks with expectant eyes as I give her the sad news. One kind and generous woman has offered to co-sponsor Blossom if we can get her into Rainbow Bridge.
Facts: Blossom is a sixteen-year-old chi mix who is listed as spayed, housebroken and good with kids. Her license and rabies tags are outdated. She is white with auburn ears and rump spot. Her nails have grown so long they curl into the pads of her feet. She is overweight... I'd say she's 14 pounds. She is a leaner... she prefers to have some part of her touching some part of you when at rest. She waddles a bit when she walks (due to weight and nails, I suspect). She is quick to trust, but is wary at first sight. Until she is through her isolation period she can not be placed.
She is currently in my home in Lewes, Delaware. She will have to return to the SPCA at the end of the ten days and then I’m hoping immediately on to a new wonderful loving forever home. I'm working hard to make her next step a home as I'd rather not see her have to go through more relocations and trust building than necessary.
Scene 11: A family came to visit with Blossom, Forest and Foxy, the three current fosters at shf’s house. They were looking for a gentle older dog for grandma but it would have to get along with 12 year old lab and tolerate two teenage boys when they visited with grandma. Blossom immediately took to grandma, I suspect because she seemed the most similar to her now departed companion. The feeling was mutual and plans are made to have Blossom visit on a temporary basis when her jail sentence is up.
Scene 12: Blossom packed up her overnight bag with familiar smells, food, brush and bed. She remembered Grandma and grandson and seemed cautious but content to visit again. A few of those familiar warning growls were enough to convince the 12 year old lab that Blossom would not be easily impressed by his size. SHF leaves quickly and cries all the way home.
Scene 13: Stalking Blossom’s new home from early morning light, SHF finally spots the family with Blossom in the lead, coming out to the car. Noticing how Blossom had perked up whenever the car keys jangled, they had all decided to take her for a ride. Blossom greeted me with joy and kisses, but wasn’t to be deterred from her joy ride. In the car she jumped, restless for the family to finish sharing the tales of Blossom’s first night and get on with her special ride.
Scene 14: Blossom continues to win hearts. “I’m just smitten” says Grandma. Blossom is making the transition to her new white blanket and no longer heads to the old familiar blanket when she needs reassurance. Plans are made to pick up her transitional things at the end of the week if all continues to go well. Negotiations between the lab and Blossom have settled on mutual indifference for the time being. It seems clear that Blossom has made her decision. Now all she has to do is convince her new family.
Scene 15: It’s official!!! A much perkier and energetic Blossom met SHF at the door of her new home today with the good news and many kisses of gratitude. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she says as she dances. “I’ve found the home and family that I plan to share my love and life with and they are PERFECT!”