A look ahead to Spring!
15/02/10 21:58
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| From RCAS |
They may just look like innocent pups, dozing the day away, but these industrious chiclets have big plans behind those fuzzy little eyelids. Rose, Astor and Camellia are aspirational gardeners, and nothing gets a gardener’s blood going quite like the last months of winter. It’s a time of plot planning and seed catalog browsing. A time to consider the blooms in one’s imagination, because the ground is barren and mucky. Rose is hoping to plant several varieties of heirloom vegetables, and a few choice summer ornamentals. Astor has been diligent in his research into the best that soil amending can offer. And Camellia, true to the shrub that bears her name, has all her pruners and saws ready for a springtime full of plant trimming. For more on these and the other available dogs and cats, click here.
Let's Get Serious for a Moment
03/02/10 21:48
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| From RCAS |
First off, my apologies for the lag in posting - when I’m not at the animal shelter, I’m working in an industry that peaks from the end of November until mid-February. Regular dispatches will begin again shortly.
And second, if you’ve adopted or made a donation or volunteered in the last few months - thank you! A lot of wonderful pets have found new homes lately, and for that, we’re always grateful.
And third - this is the serious one - we’ve got to have a little talk. There’s been a little email explosion about a certain dog on our adoptable list. She was incorrectly identified in a third party email as “running out of time” and “destined for the gas chamber”. So let’s clear that up first, she’s not running out of time, and the only place she’s destined for is the home of her future adoptive family.
Let me take you through the process that begins when a dog or cat arrives at our shelter. If the pet is surrendered by an owner, and it is deemed to be healthy and friendly, it immediately takes up residence on the adoption side of the shelter. This is the kennel that you’ll see when you come to volunteer or look for your own forever friend. If the dog or cat comes in as a stray, it is kenneled on the holding side of our shelter. An animal is held there for 72 hours to evaluate its behavior, health, and to give their owner time to come and pick it up. After the 72 hours (these are business days, weekends don’t count), animals who are healthy, friendly and all around adoptable are moved to the adoption side. The adoptable pet is then posted online (usually in a timely manner - sorry!), and available for viewing and adoption at the shelter. Heck, you can even just come and walk them if you want, they love the extra attention! And that is the end of the story. Adoptable pets at our shelter do not have expiration dates. They will stay with us until they find their new family. So, if you hear that a dog at the Randolph County Animal Shelter is on the chopping block if you don’t come and rescue it before x-date, don’t believe it. It is simply not true. We never want you to adopt a pet based on guilt. We want you to come in and be captivated by that spunky little yellow kitten or the big Lab with the soulful eyes. We know that our pets have a much better chance of finding forever homes when we take emotional blackmail and impulsivity out of the equation.
Let’s talk just briefly about the other animals that pass through our doors. Not every dog or cat is a cuddly pet. Some are born wild, some are pets that have been on their own so long that they’ve become feral. Some are dangerously aggressive, and some are sick or injured. In a perfect world, there would be a home or a safe haven for all animals (even the less than desirable ones), but we know this world is far from perfect. So when you go outside and find a feral dog menacing you in front of your garbage can, or a stray cat mangling your housecat’s ears - we’re the ones you’ll call. The job of the animal shelter is not only to find new homes for unwanted animals, but to house and dispose of the ones who will never be wanted. We do everything in our power to treat all of our animals with dignity and respect from the moment they arrive until the moment they leave. The consequence of backyard breeding, puppy mills, and un-neutered pets is a glut of dogs and cats that become less and less wanted as they age. The best thing you can do to help out your fellow animal is to have it neutered and encourage everyone you know to do the same. There are plenty of places to find information about the health and behavioral benefits of having your pet altered, so I won’t go into it here. The point is, if less unplanned animals were born to begin with, there would be fewer unwanted animals to wind up in our shelters.
Now, enough seriousness! I promise to return ASAP with new pictures and new stories. Also, we’ve got another open house planned in the coming months, and a few new shelter features to share. 2010 is going to be a great year for dogs, cats and the odd pig or horse.