A no-kill Shelter dedicated to loving and nurturing the animals in our care until they find new homes - no matter how long it takes.

OSAS 
by: Renee Robins

Newby's; 
Monday, Monday; 
Ready to Open; 
Labour of Love; 
Ferret; 
Break'n Enter; 
Aftermath; 
Easter; 
Spring; 
Quarantine; 
Second Chances; 
Some People...; 
Kittens, kittens ...; 
On Air Faux-Pa; 

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Aug '06 Blog; 
Jul '06 Blog
Jun '06 Blog;
May '06 Blog;
Apr '06 Blog;
Mar '06 Blog;
Feb '06 Blog
 


Break and Enter
- News Article

Puppy Poem

Success Story:
Little dog pulled
from icy water;

We depend on donations from private funding to support our Spay and Neuter Fund.

We will continue to pick up stray animals in the City of Owen Sound for free, and cats that arrive in live traps only, which are real strays, will also be accepted.

However, when you surrender your animal, you will be charged a flat fee for the care of the animal. The flat fee goes to the care, feeding and medicine (if required) of that animal until it is adopted out.

Kicker the "perfect already made dog", who was on the Mix, found himself the "perfect home" before 7 pm tonight!

Way to go Kicker.

Did anyone say it was spring? Normally it starts raining kittens at the end of May or beginning June ... guess we are off to an early start. Here's hoping we don't have a continuous time of kittens. On the plus side,  most of the four litters of five (yup, count'em 20 kittens) have been adopted ... but, that is not counting those five from Monday, and three others which are under quarantine.

Thank goodness we took names and numbers and thank goodness they did not go elsewhere and waited - thanks everyone.

So it seems to me, the week, thus far, has been all about kittens! Kittens in ... and kittens out. So, if anyone is looking for a nice kitten, get on that list, there will be more coming up for adoption in no time at all.

Some People Never Learn
Dear Ms. Whomever, who left me that box of kittens (all five crammed in a taped box), this morning at about 11:45 while we were closed...

I heard your vehicle this morning, and am sad to say failed to go running to see what you were doing in the parking lot. I was busy feeding, cleaning and medicating animals which needed me and once again trusted that you would return later if you needed my help.

How disappointed I was that you left 5 defenseless kittens in a box; taped shut. You may think that you have "at least sent them to a good place rather than turn them loose", but let me tell you what you have done...

Firstly, did you know that I had a list of people looking for kittens... and that all those beauties could have placed immediately!

Was it the fee?? We could have helped you place them for free ! Now, those kittens are under quarantine because they are strays... they are in the quarantine room with other strays - there may be germs@!!! (it is a quarantine area!) Those tiny babes with no immune system are now are at risk for illnesses brought in by other strays. I will have to treat them and spend 24/7 tending to them. Not to mention spending my money trying to fix problems which should never have happened in the first place. 

Secondly, it will be me who cares for them and nurses them back to health ... if we are successful. I know they have no vaccines, you wouldn't have dumped them here otherwise - you're not that kind of person! People who look after animals tend to wait for the Shelter to open or go somewhere else. This only means that homeless Shelter cats stay in cages longer.

Is this fair ??

Do you think you ripped off the City?? Got away with it and saved the $48.00? Do you know of that $48.00 I make very little and that the rest will go to pay for food, litter and medicine, for two weeks until the kittens are adopted out. 

You do the math !

Had you come in during Shelter hours and signed the papers, the kittens would have been placed right away; as the nice lady did later today (yes, there were more kittens). I already adopted out three of her five ... instead your kittens are now "strays" and have to wait through the quarantine period.

And, while I'm on this - that person who dropped off (abandoned) a cat during the night ... it was nice of you to send blankets - too bad the cat you left here got out of the cage somehow during the night. I pray he/she is found and does not become food for other predators ! 

Finally, I would like for the "droppers" to read this and get an understanding of the workings of our Shelter and the frustrations of some of the smaller pieces of the puzzle and how large a problem they have created.

My apologies to all the great people who help me every day and will read this and get my "vent".

I thought that I should mention Easter Bunnies, expecting to get the usual post Easter surrenders... must have been a premonition as two came in later ... soooo if anyone wants a bunny, watch the site.

Upon arrival at the Shelter, I was quite disappointed to see a cat found on the doorstep, who apparently had spent the night. We worked our magic and quickly located the person who dumped her, and a second chance was given to the woman who dumped her (to redeem herself) and pay a surrender fee. Todd wanted me to take this opportunity to plaster her name all over the internet ... he was angry, but I won' t do that, as she did show up at 1 pm to pay the fee. OK Rosemarie?

With the quarantine off, I was pleased to give homes to three kittens, the two eight week olds, and the now fourteen week old. A second chance now with no health concerns.

All cats which were here before the break in, are all OK now and ready to go. We are so lucky that no illnesses arrived or were a result of their intermixing. Relieved and thankful here. 

All the cats were double and triple checked, dewormed, and are now good to go. Four now being altered will go soon hopefully. The biggest weight has been lifted from our shoulders, as it has been a long 10 days of concern, checking every sneeze, cough and bowel movement - lol.

 The cats will continue to be monitored of course, as always and new cats who have arrived since then, who have not been quarantined, will be, but all of this is normal ... aaahhhhh back to normal.

Spring
It is so refreshing to start the week off knowing you accomplished so much on the weekend ! The Shelter is doing spring cleaning... you may notice the big dumpster when you pull in... we are removing some long overdue messes, like that falling down shed, and those poor tree branches which broke from all that snow in the last storm!

Yard work is almost complete, and even the dog hallway was painted. Who said holidays were for a break? We call it a bonus day to catch up ! 

Today, we continued with our surprise; which will be complete later this week... can't wait to tell you. :) 

The cat quarantine is almost up (thank goodness, it is so sad to have to turn people away) and cats were prep'd to visit the vet tomorrow. Two females and two males ( we are sure they are good to go) were assessed and prep'd for their big day tomorrow. You will see them on the web site soon!

Easter
All about kids and bunnies! Pancake and I have been all over Grey Bruce this week, or so it seems, and our little friends Hershey and Kinder went most places with us. It really helped being on Rogers TV to cover the whole area. 

The kids loved Pancake and she is such a star. Not many bunnies will let the children hold, pull ears, check feet ( rub them for luck), walk them on a leash, or allow the children to pet and squeeze them. Pancake not only tolerates it, but actually enjoys it! She willingly hops over and up for more! She is such a great bunny! 

We went to the YMCA twice, Rogers TV and two schools. It is a great opportunity for me to let the children meet and hold a real bunny. What better time than at Easter to teach the children about the care and commitment involved in keeping a bunny as a pet ... just a great time for me to do my own " Easter Preaching" ... lol

		I received an Easter surprise from Ms. Gardiner's Grade 7 and 8 Class on Thursday - Easter dog cookies wrapped in Easter baggies for each of the dogs at the Shelter. You know I will hide them too! What an exciting Sunday the dogs will have!
The cats have some treats I stashed away for them, but there is no hiding treats with the cats. However, I have had enough of hiding and cats for the time being... ha ha

I wish you and your family a safe and Happy Easter!

Aftermath
The support the Shelter has been getting today is incredible!

Although the day was spent mostly updating the press and the public on the break in, everyone who asked had kind words, offers to help, and reminded us of the great community we work with and for. 

People offered to donate time, equipment and even money to cover the spays for the cats. One young guy - Todd didn't get his name - donated his allowance! 

Thanks everyone for reminding us that we are respected, it was this that I had felt we lost most of all, and so sad about.

On another note, we found one of the two missing cats, the Tortishell, heck she put herself back in the cage, we left the door open and in she went ... worked like a charm  One to go! :)

Break'n Enter
When the call came in last night panic hit. The page came in last night from the police, the Shelter windows in the back had been smashed and the back door was swinging open.

It was my son's birthday (happy birthday big boy) we had done the Shelter earlier in the day and I immediately was concerned that this was a bad move... oh the guilt. Todd flew to town and I sat worrying about my friends. Were they all OK? Did someone take them? Hurt them? Were they still there? Did Lyle get out? Todd arrived accompanied by the police to discover cats on the lawn, and all over the building. Luckily, the dogs were untouched as this may have been the end of the cats, and injuries to the dogs still in the building. Today was spent cleaning up the mess, gathering the cats, and as of tonight all but two are counted for, not sure if they are in the building or not.  

Unfortunately, cats which were being quarantined were in with healthy cats and cats which were ill were in with quarantined cats. To make matters worst, female cats in heat were out with intact males. The cats are now under quarantine, only three are up for adoption. The remainder will be held 10-14 days. A decision as to what to do with those females will need to be made as soon as possible, and I suspect expenses for those spays to come soon. 

Anyone with information, who may have seen something or  someone around the Shelter between 12-5 please let us know. REWARD for information leading to the arrest/ conviction of the person or persons who did this! The individual/individuals are small in build, as they squeezed through a small hole, maybe female. They or him/her may have a cut on their hand, as there was blood on the door in which they exited. The tracks in the mud were that of a person with small feet, ladies 6 or 7, as compared to my prints. I hope whomever it is has a  conscience, and that this really bothers them, that this "silly prank" may have resulted in the deaths of the two missing cats, or the illness of 15 or more others. Here's hoping this is not the case. 

I am regrettably disappointed, as I was too trusting, and thought that the Shelter was admired and respected. To me, breaking into the Shelter would have been like breaking into a Church. Sadly, I am wrong.

Comments: Break'n Enter
I feel so bad for you and all the furkids at the shelter. What a horrible, scary thing they must have been going through while someone ransacked the shelter. I am so sorry to hear about the chaos, destruction and more importantly, the welfare of your shelter babies. If there is ANYTHING I can do to help, please let me know!!! I hope the perpetrator has a conscience and comes forward. Good luck and thanks for all you do for your charges!! 
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Posted by: Renee  | April 10, 2006 at 05:31 PM

Comments: Break'n Enter
I’m absolutely appalled at the break-in!   My god, why someone would risk all the animals in the shelter?  Then again, humans are so capable of cruelty, insensitivity, and atrocity it shouldn’t surprise me.  Still, I’m both saddened and disturbed by this senseless act of violence!  Please remember that most of us value the service you provide in caring for the animals.  We need more people like you and Todd!
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Posted by: Martha  | April 10, 2006 at 07:06 PM

Ferret
I am always impressed by what I can learn in a day, and no matter how much I think I know, sometimes I get the stumper question.

Did everyone catch that on air question. JD says want to take a question about ferrets? I figure what's the harm - I  know what they eat, what they need, how long they live, that they are feline, etc., etc. So, we go live and "Mitch" asks "so where do ferrets come from?" YIKES, my face must have been priceless. So I dig deep and I know they used them on boats, and have many clubs in Ireland ... so I go with "all over, but mostly Ireland" ha ha ha!  At 1:00 pm I met with the most knowledgeable "ferret" person I know. She not only filled me in on all those interesting facts, but some I didn't know. Then she told me the great news - that Flurry was going home. 

So we, shall I say she, bathed him (in baby oil, baking soda, and then baby shampoo to cut the grease ... who knew). She then put on his harness, gave him a few snacks and told him the good news. I was so glad that he found such a ferret smart and ferret loving home. He sure made an impact on all of us (not just his aroma!).

One thing, I forgot to ask her was ... where do they come from? Curious?

Labour of Love
Sad, sad, sad! A very sad day today. Everyday can't be sunny, I guess, in my line of work. 

Joe came back today. Apparently, his desire to be outside includes the desire to go on adventures. The family quickly tired of chasing him and I would hate anything to happen to him on his journeys. This put a damper on the entire day, I knew he was loved, heck he was eating steak for supper, can't beat that and he was being cared for. It was a real shame for everyone, especially Joe, who once again is back in a cage. Here's hoping it won't be for too long. 

Wish I could explain to him what he did wrong; so it won't happen again.

Ready to Open
At 1:00 pm I had a full parking lot, always a stress as you prepare for those visitors - never know if it is good or bad. Luckily, two were familiar faces as they approached the door and I felt relief in knowing the JRT and my buddy Tau the cat were going home. The others were just lookers - no stress at all. 

The gentleman looking for a JRT had been looking for quite some time, happened in and discovered we had just what he was looking for. They spent some time together earlier on (end of last week and Monday) and seeing him out there told me he had thought about it and made the right decision. 

The couple for Tau had been in on Friday and they asked me to choose a cat that matched their lifestyle - they needed a quiet cat, good to handle, good with other cats and dogs, and of course, I picked out one of my favorites. They gave it the weekend to think about it ... apparently, the husband needed some encouragement as well and by Tuesday not only had decided, but had named him Rusty.

Can't have a bad day when it starts out that way!

Monday, Monday
I always worry about the hassles Mondays bring. When the day starts with a stray dog to pick up, I always hope it is not a bad sign for the day ahead! Luckily for me that was as bad as it got, other than the rain storm and the barking dogs who hate it, who howled in the background all afternoon. 

I had a nice visit from Emmanual and Leo's new mom who brought me treats and a fundraising idea. I will let you know about it when I can see if I can pull it off ... don't want to get everyone excited for nothing. She also decided she had room in her heart and her home for two more cats. She opted for my long timers Manny and Chilli. Chilli really needed a special place. The best part though was the updates of my boys, who have settled in well and are in love with the place. So glad to hear it and she promised to bring them my love.

Speaking of updates ... heard from Dakota (pup pup's) person today ... all is well and it was a great match - a spoiled pooch. He had a wonderful weekend in his new home and is so smart and learning the rules fast (I knew he would!) Love that, really was pleased to hear it.

Newby's
Good thing I mentioned on air that it is the ideal time to adopt a dog; we had four in on Saturday. I hope people were listening. Most of my day was spent talking with the previous owners, getting a feel for the lifestyle of the dogs and what they are use to and suited to. These dogs are then tested for any immediate behaviour concerns. 

One of the dogs that came in was an eight week old puppy, the last of a litter. Too bad you won't get to see him on the site - maybe on a happy tails, as the next person through the door was looking for a puppy. Lucky puppy ... in and out. 

Here's hoping all the newby's won't be with me too long. Check the site for their info!

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