Introducing Zoey

This is Zoey, another doxie available for adoption from NOLA Rejects. She is currently in foster care and this is what her foster mom has to say:

"Zoey is a very sweet young lady who is quickly learning how to be spoiled. She loves to be in your lap but wants to choose the time herself. She also loves to sleep in the bed with her person and will stand on her back legs and whine to be picked up and put in the bed. She is learning the routine of going outside to do her business so she can get a treat for a job well done. She also uses a puppy pad if she can't get your attention quick enough to go outside as she does not yet know to bark or go to the door on her own. She loves to play with her toys and with her person. She would be happiest with someone who is home a great deal of the time for companionship and playtime and would probably enjoy having another small dog to play with. She is learning to walk on a leash with a harness but does not do well with a collar. Zoey is hoping to find her furever home so she can shower her person with love and show them what a great little girl she is."


If you are interested in learning more about Zoey, please contact me.

Face time

Jake is still waiting for his furever home. He would sure like to have his very own stocking hanging by the christmas tree this holiday season! If you are interested in Jake please contact me.

It's Official

Penny is officially adoptable. She was spayed last week and she is current on all her shots and preventatives. She is about 3 years old and weighs 11 pounds which is the perfect size for any one's lap! She is a sweet and loving little girl although she is easily overwhelmed by too much activity. Penny's ideal home would be a quiet place where someone is home often to spend lots of time with her. She would be fine with other dogs, cats or children as long as they are calm. She is currently being crate trained and she is working on becoming housebroken. If you are interested in Penny please contact me. She would love to find her furever home just in time for the holidays!

It's the good life....

It was rainy Saturday night and it started getting cold. The dogs got warm blankets from the dryer :)

From left: Jake (adoptable), Penny (adoptable), Mitzi, Chippewa

He's a good boy!

Jake is still with me and boy is he a handful! He gives true meaning to the phrase "no home training". He not only wasn't potty trained, but he had no indoor manners at all. He was constantly counter surfing, up on the furniture, chasing the cats, playing with shoes....ugh! Well, I'm proud to say he is getting better! He is still having a few accidents here and there but we are going days without any problems. He has learned that he is not allowed on the furniture and now (thanks to the webcam) the only time I catch him on the couch is when I'm at work. He knows "off" means off and he obeys really well. He has been learning to sit, and lay down and we are working on stay. He is a high energy dog and he needs lots of attention and exercise, and he needs a home with a yard, but he really is a good boy and he really just wants to be loved. He has started to understand when I am happy or displeased with him and I can see the learning in his face. I'm not giving up on him and I have all the confidence in the world that he will one day make a perfect pet for some lucky family out there. If you interested in Jake, please contact me.

Here a doxie, there a doxie, everywhere a doxie!

My friend, Kristy, and I decided to start up our own non-profit since we seem to have an endless stream of needy pets at our doors. Just as we were getting our feet wet with this idea along came a dachshund breeder ready to surrender most of her dogs. We took in 10 and while our organization, NOLA Rejects, has no money, no PetFinder account, not even a logo we feel confident that these little beauties will be easy to re-home. They are all a bit shy but they appear to be healthy. Most of them seem to have good associations with people but they don't seem to have been handled very much. We managed to get a few into foster homes and we are working on getting them spayed and neutered.

We have not had a chance to take decent pictures, but here are a few. As you can see we have many varieties to choose from! If you are interested in adopting or if you want to help us out by fostering or making a donation of funds or items contact me! We need all the help we can get!

Pet Fest 2010 is Sunday

We'll be there! Will you?
http://www.friendspetfest.org/

Woof!

Jake not Jack

I have a friend who is a groomer. As such she has also become an independent rescue group. She is constantly finding dogs in need and she is helping them. In return for her good samaritanship I am helping her by fostering a dog for her. She had been referring to him as Jack, but when he came to live with me I needed him to learn the "off" command. Well, with a 3 year old little boy in the house the last thing I needed to be repeating was "Jack off!"..... you get the idea :)

So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Jake! He is a sweet boy who is less than 6 months old. He looks like a giant, mutated Jack Russell terrier and he is clumsy with his long legs and his little puppy brain, but he is SWEET, SMART, FUNNY and LOVING. He will make an awesome pet for a family. He is good with my cats and other dogs and he enjoys running in the yard with my son. He is waiting on his ad on Petfinder and in the meantime I'm sure he will be the inspiration for many blog posts. If you are interested in meeting Jake feel free to contact me.

Homeward Bound!

Eli is heading to his new furever home. I hear his new parents are planning some very important work as a therapy or service dog. I'm not sure which one he will be and I'm not sure exactly what he will be doing in that capacity. I AM sure, however, that he will be a smashing success at it!

Here is a little video I took on our last night together.

Eli, my dear friend, please remember to be good, you have important work to do. And don't forget, always potty outside and never chew up the couch! Be a good boy!

Socializing

Just like children, puppies have different critical stages of development. These begin at birth and continue through puppyhood. From three to twelve weeks of age is a critical time for socializing your puppy. This means you want to expose your puppy to as many different surroundings, people and animals as possible. While you may handle your puppy a lot, if he never sees anyone but you he will likely develop a fear of strangers. The same idea applies to surroundings. You want to expose your puppy to the different sounds, smells, sights and any other stimuli now so that he can be a well rounded dog with little or no fear later in his life.

Eli is about nine weeks old and we have taken every opportunity to expose him to different things, people, places. On Saturday we took him and my son to the feed store where he was met by other patrons with great enthusiasm (everyone loves a puppy!). He walked next to my son's wagon, and he rode in the wagon. We walked along a very busy street with lots of noisy traffic, and we took quiet side streets where there were other dogs, children and fire hydrants to spark Eli's interest. He did great and if I had to guess, his favorite part of the day was being in the feed store with all those wonderful smells!

7 Basic Needs

Tamar Geller, author and dog behaviorist, stated in her book "The Loved Dog" that a dog has 7 basic needs: a sense of security, companionship, understanding the hierarchy, surprise/excitement, food and exercise, mental stimulation, and love and connection. A need is something that is necessary to sustain a good quality of life, and if any of those needs are not met problem behaviors will occur and the dogs quality of life will deteriorate. When the needs are met you get this:
A satisfied, well behaved and tired puppy!

I learned recently that Eli has already found a forever home where he will be going in about a week. He sends a big, sloppy puppy kiss (puppy breath included!) to his new forever family!

Eli at Play

Doing the Happy Dance!

Dexter got adopted last Saturday! WoooHoooo! He's such a great cat and I know he's giving a whole lotta love to his new family. Congratulations Dexter!

On another note, Buster, the pit foster puppy has left us :( He developed a cough and needed vet care. He has gone back to the shelter where he is awaiting a home visit to approve his new forever home. Apparently he had an application in and if approved he would not go to Chicago on October 2. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but it looks promising.

In exchange, we now have an 8 week old lab puppy. His name is Eli and he is an owner surrender. He was purchased from a breeder and the family kept him for a few days and then decided he was too much....typical story I guess. If it had been a reputable breeder he would have gone back there by terms of contract. Instead he ended up at the shelter. So...if anyone is searching for a purebred dog to bring home please read this and at least visit the shelter! I have living, breathing proof you CAN get a purebred puppy there!

I finally got a picture!

He's a tired boy. For the last 2 days he has been walked twice per day for at least 20 minutes. He has played with 2 cats, 2 dogs and a 3 year old little boy. He has romped in the yard and learned what he can and can't play with. He has so many things to explore he can hardly stand it! He's exhausted and he will sleep well tonight......

Incoming!

The 2 puppies were a little under the weather and unable to leave the shelter. Lucky for this guy! He's a 4 month old pit mix and he is an awesome dog. He is handsome, well behaved, gentle and smart as a whip :) If he doesn't get adopted first, he's heading to Chicago October 2!

I can't get a good picture, he won't be still long enough. Here's a little video, enjoy!

CH-CH-CH-Changes....

Well, it's been a while, I know, but things are starting to pick up. Dexter is back at Meow Town. There was an open cage and he needed the exposure. He is doing well and my son and I drop in and visit the kittys often. If and when he needs another break he is welcome to come back to our home and we hope that he will! I'm leaving his picture up here, though, until he is adopted I will consider him one of my fosters, no matter where he is :)

Today's big event is new foster puppies! We are picking up two this afternoon so check back tomorrow for another update!

It's still quiet

We had a good day last week at the adoption event. Ellen got adopted (background here and here)! With 10 total cat adoptions for the day! Dexter generated some interest but he still ended up coming back home with me. Hopefully one of the couples that showed interest will be back for him. In the meantime he's comfy and happy :)

My son is getting ready to start school so my husband and I decided to hold off for a week or two before bringing in more fosters. We don't want my son to be overwhelmed and we all have a new routine to adjust to. So, it will be quiet around here for another couple of weeks and then it will pick back up, I promise. In the meantime I'll look for some interesting articles to post.

If your lonely for a cat blog to read visit the Meow Town Cats! And be sure to check back here for dates on upcoming adoption events or to try and get a peak at the animals on the webcam!

It's been quiet

Sorry about the lack of activity here. It's been relatively quiet at my house. Since all the kittens have been adopted the only foster we have left is Dexter (who is getting very comfy, by the way). We have another adoption day scheduled for Saturday the 21st. I hope things will pick back up then. You never know what I might bring home! *wink*

Just call me "Sucker"

I admit it, I fell in love, as did the rest of my family. We love all the fosters that come through our home, but we couldn't bear to part with Peaty. He and my son had become so close, so we decided to give him an early birthday present and adopt Peaty ourselves. My son is elated, but still expecting a huge flood of gifts for his birthday, just the same.





Cry no tears for Penelope, though. She was the last of the first round of our foster kittens but she lucked out at the adoption event last Saturday. She was adopted with another kitten named Sweet Pea. They will spend their days entertaining two young boys and being loved furever by their new adoptive mom and dad.





Saturdays event proved to be quite successful. Seven cats and four dogs all got adopted! Woof!

A day in the life of Dexter...

Dexter at work:

Dexter at play:

Dexter at rest:

Dexter is a very laid back cat! All he really wants is to be near his family so he can lay down and relax. He's a love bug and an occasional pet is welcomed, but he is more concerned with seeing you and being in the room where you are. So if you have room in your home (or on your kitchen table) and your heart for a big lazy cat that just wants to lounge, check out Dexter!

Considering Bonnie

I'm sure you've heard about her by now. If you haven't, you should know there is a storm in the Gulf. Bonnie doesn't seem to be very noteworthy, but she has given me the opportunity to remind everyone how important it is to include your pets in your emergency planning. Here are some links with lot's of information. If you have a pet please use this information and feel free to comment here with anything you'd like to add.


http://la-spca.org/Page.aspx?pid=263
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/prepare/pet_plan.shtml
http://www.ehow.com/how_2053739_keep-pets-safe-during-hurricane.html

Penelope's New Trick

The big cats (Sube and Dexter) are always on the table and Penelope is always looking up at them like "Wow, I wish I could jump up there too!" Well, over the last few days she has found her way up to the top of the table...she's hangin' with the big kitties.

We have a pet fish, her name is Sparkles, and she lives on the kitchen table. The cats never really bothered her until Penelope came along. Don't worry she won't eat the fish, she just likes eating the fish's food. Every time I drop some into the bowl Penelope comes running and begins bobbing for fish food.

So here's what we know...Penelope will do great in a home with dogs, other cats, children and fish. That should improve her adoptability, huh?

C'est la Vie

Ellen was returned to Meow Town this morning. She simply couldn't bring herself to get along with the rest of the animals at my house. When I placed her back in her cage this morning she almost seemed happy to be there. She went straight for the food bowl and ate happily. In her history she has been exposed to a dog and other cats and didn't have issues. I can't really explain why my home didn't work for her, but such is life....what isn't right for some is purrrfect for others.

Dexter is Ellen's replacement. I put him in the spare room this morning behind a baby gate and he would have nothing of it. No baby gate can hold him back! Currently he is roaming the house like he's lived here forever and so far he has had no issues with the other cats or dogs....not even a single little hiss. This works out quite well for Dexter, considering he has been at Meow Town since May 1. This also opens up some space at Meow Town so FJAS can place kittens there making a little more room in foster homes so another cat can be saved from the shelter. And so the cycle continues....

Goodbye and Hello

Even though the day seemed a bit slow, it was Molly's lucky day. She was adopted into a quiet home with one other cat. Molly was always a shy one and she didn't cope well with the dogs so despite my heartstrings, I was happy to see her go to a loving, quiet home.

With one kitten gone now, I felt like I had an "opening", lol. With so many pets in shelters, how could I not fill Molly's place with yet another needy cat? Please join me in welcoming "Ellen".

Ellen has been a resident at Meow Town at Jefferson Feed & Garden Center for far too long and needed a break. I brought her home for a trial run. So far she is a sweetie who loves to lounge and get pets. Tomorrow she will meet the rest of the crew....to be continued.....

Do you see that bird? I see a bird.... Do you see the bird?

There is a morning dove who had built her nest under our patio last year. At first I thought, "awww, how sweet." Then she laid eggs, then she had baby birds, then they pooed all over everything and kept my dog in a permanent state of looking up and panting. The birds are back again this year.....at least someone is enjoying it......

Milk and a Movie

So my son has a TV in his room and every night at bedtime he gets a sippy cup of milk and a movie to watch in bed. Well, Peaty has expressed an interest in watching cartoons himself, so I don't know why I was surprised at what I found last night. Marshy had finished his milk and let his sippy cup roll to the side, Peaty found his way onto the bed and was "holding" the sippy cup while he was curled up next to my son watching Toy Story 2. Of course by the time I got back to the room with my camera the moment was gone :( I really hope that Peaty gets adopted by someone with a young child. He really seems to enjoy the presence of children and he is very tolerant and well behaved with them.

On another note: Tomorrow is the big "Hot Kitty in the City" adoption Event at Jefferson Feed. Come on down and let a purrrfect little kitten steal your heart away!

Sadie Goes Home!

This is Sadie. She was a shelter dog who came and lived with us for about a week. She was adopted from the shelter as a puppy and after more than 2 years she was returned. She had been left outside alone and as a result she got bored and began to develop the habit of escaping. She was stealth, and she could run faster than any dog I've ever seen. Beyond her escaping habit she was a great dog both indoors and out.

After our attempt to foster her proved too much to handle in our busy home, Lynn of Jefferson Feed and Garden Center took her into the store and fostered her there. I felt terrible that she couldn't stay with us, but I knew with her escaping habits she would be safer at the feed store. Last Saturday I attended the "Adopt-a-thon" event at Clearview mall with Sadie in tow. She generated a lot of interest and I felt confident it wouldn't be long.

This morning I received an email from Lynn letting me know that Sadie had gone for an overnight visit to meet her potential new pack members. Everything went well and Sadie's adoption was completed today!

Congratulations Sadie!

It turns out the "Adopt-a-thon" was a huge success as well, resulting in 46 total adoptions!
Saturday Adoptions16 Puppies/Dogs7 Kittens/Cats
Sunday Adoptions15 Puppies/Dogs8 Kittens/Cats

Meow!

Why Foster?

It is my opinion that foster homes are one of the best things a shelter animal can get short of a forever home. Animals in the shelter don't usually thrive in that environment and it can also be difficult to learn about the pet's personality which can contribute greatly to the animal's adoptability. When they come into foster care, the foster parents can assess their personality in a home environment, we can work on training and exercise and keeping the pets overall healthy both physically and mentally.

Fostering also helps the shelter and other pets there. By taking in one foster you are freeing up space at already over crowded shelters, giving many pets another chance at life that may have otherwise been euthanized due to lack of space.

Fostering is demanding, frustrating, exhausting and rewarding beyond words.

Many years ago I fostered a lot of different dogs, but after spending the last few years focused on family, I've kind of gotten out of the mix. Recently I sent in my volunteer application to Friends of Jefferson Animal Shelter and in less than a week I was driving to the shelter to pick up 3 orphaned kittens: Peaty, Penelope, and Molly.

Peaty and Penelope came from the same litter and Molly was an orphaned kitten found alone. She needed other kittens so we brought her into our litter. This is my first time fostering cats and it has been quite an adventure so far. You can see the kittens at play if you look at the web cam during the right times (hopefully you won't just see a big red dog's rump, lol)