Two of our adopted cats, Sage & Raven

This is a great time to adopt a shelter cat or two!  The first wave of Kitten Season has already hit in a lot of places, which means shelters are filling up with kittens, leaving little or no room, especially for adult cats.  Many rescue groups are waiving or reducing fees for adopting cats this month.  When you adopt you save a life and make room for another cat to have a chance.

Check out the links below to help in your decision and to learn how to make an adoption go smoothly:

1. Please consider adopting adult cats—there are a ton of reasons why they make wonderful pets!
2. What to consider before you adopt and the things you’ll need.
3. Two cats can be better than one!
4. Prepare for your new furred family members.
5. Bringing your new cat home. More good tips on bringing home your new cat.
6. Learn how to introduce two cats. More advice on introducing cats. And even more advice on introducing your new cat to other cats.
7. Learn how to introduce your new cat to your resident dog. More good advice on introducing your new cat to your dog.
8. Allergies?  Check out the podcast about living with allergies & pets. And the ASPCA has a list of tips.

Before

After

Do you remember the puppy Cookie found forgotten and in terrible shape in an animal shelter?  Happy news!  Cookie has been delivered from Georgia to his new home Maryland via a relay of volunteers.  He’s doing so much better and has a happy life ahead of him.

Don’t miss this video of Cookie romping in the snow with his buddy.  Such a sweet boy!

What an amazing journey.  It all started with Cathy at CampCocker quietly going about the hard work of rescuing Cocker Spaniels when she saw a dog in desperate need like so many dogs, except this wasn’t a Cocker, it was a pitt bull.  Cathy stepped up, made an amazing video, and Stanley’s rescue started.  It’s so inspiring to see how far he’s come in this latest video and the other dogs who have been saved as a result.

But, I think we have to remember he is just one dog.  There are thousands out there every day who are also desperately in need of medical care, kindness, and a home.  Stanley really isn’t any more special than all those other dogs.  Every dog needing rescue has a story, a will to live, a personality, a spirit, and a mind.  Please consider adopting a dog instead of purchasing a dog.  They’re all special.  And your journey with them will be so rewarding.

Lastly, I want to say I do not understand how people can demonize a breed of dog.  Stanley has been through hell, but just look at the tail wagging when he gets out of his crate at the airport.

Stanley’s story wouldn’t be possible without these groups and they all need donations including LA Animal Services:

• Los Angeles Animal Services—they have programs to improve the welfare of animals in their shelters, to provide foster homes, for spay/neuter campaigns in low income areas, & to provide medical treatment for “severely injured, abused, and neglected animals rescued by Animal Services”
• CampCocker
• Respect-A-Bull

But, that’s not to say you can’t bring attention to the value of dogs in the workplace or focus on the TYDTWD mission of spotlighting the benefits of adopting your dog from an animal rescue organization. In fact, participating workplaces are asked to partner with animal shelters to help increase adoptions of shelter dogs.

Some tips on a successful Take Your Dog To Work Day:

• bring a familiar blanket or bed
• take your dog for a walk before taking her to work
• keep you dog confined to your workspace
• make sure your workspace is pooch-proofed
• identify an appropriate potty place outside & bring poop bags
• bring a puzzle toy like a Twist ‘n Treat or Tricky Treat Ball
• make sure your dog is clean and flea free
• provide water
• avoid any situations where resource guarding may occur
• don’t leave your dog unattended
• keep your dog leashed when outside and in common areas
• be considerate of co-workers
• have a back-up plan if your dog isn’t happy and needs to go home early

In conjunction with the stamps, the pet food company Halo is donating 1 million meals to animal shelters when you sign up for their newsletter, follow them on Twitter, etc.  Ellen DeGeneres, co-owner, of Halo, is also part of the campaign.

You can order the stamps online, so it’s super easy. (This is how I always buy stamps anyway.  It’s quick, there’s no waiting in lines, and they don’t run out like the post office can.)

There are lots of humorous reasons to adopt a black cat or dog—

• a black cat doesn’t need a costume for Halloween
• a black dog goes with any decor
• their fur doesn’t show on dark clothes
• black dogs don’t show dirt

The best reason is more serious.  Black cats & dogs are much less likely to be adopted because—

• they don’t photograph well
• they aren’t distinctive like a calico cat or a dog with spots
• they don’t stand out in a sea of black cats or dogs
• some people are still superstitious

If they aren’t euthanized, black kittens & puppies tend to stay longer in shelters.  Then they are no longer cute kittens or puppies, making it even tougher to get them adopted.  It’s such a pervasive problem that shelters organize special adoption events just for black cats and there’s a whole organization dedicated to promoting the adoption of black dogs called BlackPearlDogs.com.

In my experience, black cats are like any other cat.  The can be sweet, silly, clever, feisty, loungers, or whirlwinds.  They are as beautiful as any other cat if not more so.  They aren’t identical.  And those of us who share our lives with them are very fond of them.

Black dogs are just as wonderful as any other dog.  And they are in such great need of adoption.  Bark has an article on the plight of black dogs in animals shelters and what’s being done to help them.  Black dogs aren’t identical either—they have a huge range of body types and characteristics.  The can be herders, retrievers, pointers, or sleepers.

Every pet adoption is a life saved, but in the case of black cats & dogs, you’re saving a life that’s at an even higher risk of being cut short.