This won't surprise those of you who have read past blogs posts when I write that this post is about getting active politically.
Many people who read this blog want to make the world a better place for all living beings. Although I often write about animal cruelty issues and issues that tend to be national or international, I believe it is hugely important that each of us takes action in our own backyard.
I am going to offer three simple suggestions that you can take to make your voice heard in your own community, actions that will make your community better, or at the least, get your message out there.
The folks I am asking you to connect with are easy to find. A few minutes on Google and you will be done.
I think all three of these are important based on where I live, and what is going on in my own community.
Ready. Set. Go!
Action #1: Find out who represents you on city council and engage with them. In our case we have two folks who represent our area and I am in touch with them frequently (but not too much!). When local issues arise or when I hear about some vote at city council that concerns me, I send an email to these two. Many city ordinances that support those in need, companion animals, etc. were created because of folks like us who gave a shit.
Action #2: Find out who your Chief of Police is and write them a letter asking them to conduct training around how officers deal with companion animals. This one is of great interest to me as I have read too many articles about police who have killed a companion animal, usually a dog. Training helps. Asking your local folks to be aware of this helps too. You never know whose companion animal you will save!
Action #3: Get to know who is on your local school board and find out whether they support your thoughts around education (or other things). In our county, our school board has been taken over by folks who call themselves "reformists" but in my opinion are only spending public money to support their agenda which seems to be to change public education. This is happening all over the country. And here, the school board seems to have little care for students who are not well off. Even if you do not have children in the school district, like us, find out what is going on in your district.
That's it ! Pretty easy, right? All of these actions will make a difference with issues that are important to you. We cannot be a voice for the voiceless if we do not express that voice.
Thanks for reading!
Zuma beach.
Showing posts with label companion animals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label companion animals. Show all posts
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Soul mates - my sweet Moses
I don't think one has to have any type of belief to think of very special people or animals as a soul mate. I could be wrong, but even if you do not believe in a soul, I think you can still wrap your mind around what a soul mate is.
Most of the time when I hear the words soul mate it is in reference to a human, usually coming from a heterosexual woman in reference to her male partner. I seldom hear men talk about such things.
This post is about one of my soul mates, Moses, who happened to be a dog.
Moses passed away in July of 2007 at the age of 14. He had been part of my family since November of 1998 when I found him trudging along I-5 in San Clemente, California.
For me it was love at first sight.
Moses changed me. He was a dog that had been severely abused and neglected, yet the first night with me, with no shelter or vet open until the next day, he slept comfortably in my tent. When I would wake up to check on him I would hear this swooshing sound. Not sure of what it was, I soon realized that whenever I would speak to him he would wag his tail.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, this whole intense tail wagging thing would be come part of what people would think of when thinking of Moses. No matter who you were, no matter what Moses had been through and no matter what humans before us had done to him, he would wag his tail with huge effort upon seeing anyone.
Moses was part Coon hound, so combined with his amazing bark and his wagging tail, he was quite the sight.
Moses was pure love. He loved every being he came in contact with. He especially loved humans. He taught me so much about love, and forgiveness.
Sweet Moses! I still think of him all of the time, and every once in a while I look at the spot where his bed used to be, where I last saw him.
A true soul mate. A true love, filled with so many wonderful things.
Thank you for reading.
Monday, September 9, 2013
In loving memory of Luca the cat
 |
| Luca |
It's been about 17 years since I last saw Luca.
This morning I got a connection request on LinkedIn from an old friend in Norfolk. In his note he reminded me who he was and that him and his girlfriend at the time had adopted Luca from me. He was connecting to let me know that Luca had passed away at the age of 18 last week.
I found Luca in a garbage can at my work at a hotel in Norfolk. He was one of a couple of cats my co-worker Tina and I rescued. Luca came home with me. Well, to my partner's home where our two other cats lived.
I was concerned that Dupont and Lollipop would not let Luca eat. My how I was surprised when Luca was the one who perched over the food bowl, not allowing them near the bowl!
Luca was a love. He ended up in my apartment so all three cats could eat and live in peace. It was never my intention to keep him, and as many of you know from your own experiences, I fell in love with Luca during the few weeks he stayed with me.
The time came when I found him an amazing home with Mike and Kathleen. Luca lived with Mike for the rest of his life.
I wanted to share this story with all of you because I know that many of you, like Mike and I, do a lot of fostering and rescuing of companion animals. I loved learning about Luca, that he had had an amazing live with an extremely loving family. I loved looking at all of the photos of him being adored and living with people that treated him like family. What more could I have asked for the day I dropped him off.
The animals we rescue and find homes for go on to live awesome lives. For those of you who do this kind of work, keep doing it. Sweet lovers like Luca depend on it.
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Caring for a senior companion animal
Note: This is another one of those very personal posts.
Mike and I returned home from vacation to our senior companion animal Rock, a 16 1/2 year old Yorkie who in the time we were gone went from being old and not in great shape to being old and in bad shape and not being able to walk.
We all get to this point. Some more often than others. Mike and I certainly have been here before.
As Rock has gotten older he has lost a good portion of his sight and a lot of his hearing (although his hearing always returns when there is food or a treat involved!). He doesn't like going outside to pee as it's a long walk for an old dog with short legs, so he gets out of bed and pees in the hallway or the living room or the kitchen. He can't jump up on anything and gets uncomfortable easy. He never sleeps through the night and one or both of us are up two to three times during the night to take him out and love on him.
It can be exhausting. And we would do so much more.
His attitude and personality and appetite are all at 100%.
His back and legs are not. Upon return from vacation we took him to the vet and began the conversation around what we can do, and more distressingly for us, when nothing else can be done. After a long exam with our trusted vet and some x-rays, we decided to change the meds Rock is on and to invite another vet who does acupuncture and laser treatment for dogs and cats in a similar condition to our home. Yes, she does house visits!
More importantly, and very difficult for us but so critical for Rock, we decided that if the med change and acupuncture did not work within a week or so, and that Rock could still not walk or get up on his own, that we would do what we believe would be best for Rock and have him euthanized.
The emotions in just writing about this are huge and uncomfortable and in a sense tragic. Rock has been part of Mike's life for over 16 years and part of mine for almost 10. He is our family. He is my little schmeagle beagle.
The day after the vet visit and the change in meds the vet who does acupuncture and laser treatment came over. The treatments lasted an hour. She really impressed Mike and the treatments seemed to help Rock right away, at least in making him more comfortable in his own body.
Two days later Rock has been able to stand outside to do his thing, and has walked from the kitchen to the living room to the bedroom. He is definitely showing signs of being in less pain, and we are cautiously optimistic. Not for ten more years with him, but a life with him that is one day at a time and includes him being in little or no pain with the ability to walk and go to the bathroom on his own.
Thank you so much for reading this post. I will keep you all updated as we continue this process.
Mike and I returned home from vacation to our senior companion animal Rock, a 16 1/2 year old Yorkie who in the time we were gone went from being old and not in great shape to being old and in bad shape and not being able to walk.
We all get to this point. Some more often than others. Mike and I certainly have been here before.
As Rock has gotten older he has lost a good portion of his sight and a lot of his hearing (although his hearing always returns when there is food or a treat involved!). He doesn't like going outside to pee as it's a long walk for an old dog with short legs, so he gets out of bed and pees in the hallway or the living room or the kitchen. He can't jump up on anything and gets uncomfortable easy. He never sleeps through the night and one or both of us are up two to three times during the night to take him out and love on him.
It can be exhausting. And we would do so much more.
His attitude and personality and appetite are all at 100%.
His back and legs are not. Upon return from vacation we took him to the vet and began the conversation around what we can do, and more distressingly for us, when nothing else can be done. After a long exam with our trusted vet and some x-rays, we decided to change the meds Rock is on and to invite another vet who does acupuncture and laser treatment for dogs and cats in a similar condition to our home. Yes, she does house visits!
More importantly, and very difficult for us but so critical for Rock, we decided that if the med change and acupuncture did not work within a week or so, and that Rock could still not walk or get up on his own, that we would do what we believe would be best for Rock and have him euthanized.
The emotions in just writing about this are huge and uncomfortable and in a sense tragic. Rock has been part of Mike's life for over 16 years and part of mine for almost 10. He is our family. He is my little schmeagle beagle.
The day after the vet visit and the change in meds the vet who does acupuncture and laser treatment came over. The treatments lasted an hour. She really impressed Mike and the treatments seemed to help Rock right away, at least in making him more comfortable in his own body.
Two days later Rock has been able to stand outside to do his thing, and has walked from the kitchen to the living room to the bedroom. He is definitely showing signs of being in less pain, and we are cautiously optimistic. Not for ten more years with him, but a life with him that is one day at a time and includes him being in little or no pain with the ability to walk and go to the bathroom on his own.
Thank you so much for reading this post. I will keep you all updated as we continue this process.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Action of the week - reach out
I am still unemployed (today is day 21) and have been able to take "me" time during my job search. By the way, I did receive an offer letter yesterday and am hoping to take this job after looking into the benefits.
Yesterday I went to the Max Fund, a local shelter here that Mike and I support and where I have been volunteering for 12 years. We have fostered a bunch of dogs from here and last Saturday swung by to check about fostering Chico, a one-eyed Pekingese mix who is 8 years old and they believe would be better off right now in foster.
I had time yesterday after a lunch appointment to go visit with Chico again. He is pretty snappy and I wanted to see if he acted any differently on a slower day at the shelter. His only interest in my was to try to bite me, not in a way to harm me as he doesn't bite down, he just snaps.
While visiting with Chico a gentleman came into the shelter asking if he could pick up some food for his dogs. I am not sure of his situation except that he is experiencing difficult times and was asking for dog food as he could not afford it.
I wanted to tell him that I would buy all the dog food he needed until his times got better, but the Max Fund employee said to him that he would go check to see what they had. The employee came back in less than five minutes with a couple of bags of dog food. I was ecstatic.
If you are still thinking about Chico, more to come on him. I am going back today to bring him home as a foster. And you know that means a Chico blog post soon!
Do you know anyone like the gentleman who came in to Max Fund? Would you reach out to them with some dog food or treats, or a pound of coffee? Perhaps a care package with some treats? Mike and I are financially good right now but the gifts people have given since I lost my job did more than give us something nice, they filled us with love and gratitude. That's the perfect gift!
I have been unemployed for 21 days and have been blown away by the love and support I have received from friends, family, colleagues and people I don't even know. My hope is that all of us can do this, reaching out to those who might be in need. When the economy went downhill I clearly remember shelters I volunteer at getting more and more filled with dogs and cats from families who could no longer afford their care because of loss of a job or home. What can all of us to to support those who aren't quite there yet, but are struggling to care for their beloved companion animals?
Today when I go to the Max Fund going to donate dog and cat food for families struggling. I don't know what else to do but will ask them. I'm not sure how many animal shelters or homeless shelters have options to support those struggling, but I am sure there is something all of us can do.
Will you join us and reach out to those in need?
Thank you for reading!
Yesterday I went to the Max Fund, a local shelter here that Mike and I support and where I have been volunteering for 12 years. We have fostered a bunch of dogs from here and last Saturday swung by to check about fostering Chico, a one-eyed Pekingese mix who is 8 years old and they believe would be better off right now in foster.
I had time yesterday after a lunch appointment to go visit with Chico again. He is pretty snappy and I wanted to see if he acted any differently on a slower day at the shelter. His only interest in my was to try to bite me, not in a way to harm me as he doesn't bite down, he just snaps.
While visiting with Chico a gentleman came into the shelter asking if he could pick up some food for his dogs. I am not sure of his situation except that he is experiencing difficult times and was asking for dog food as he could not afford it.
I wanted to tell him that I would buy all the dog food he needed until his times got better, but the Max Fund employee said to him that he would go check to see what they had. The employee came back in less than five minutes with a couple of bags of dog food. I was ecstatic.
If you are still thinking about Chico, more to come on him. I am going back today to bring him home as a foster. And you know that means a Chico blog post soon!
Do you know anyone like the gentleman who came in to Max Fund? Would you reach out to them with some dog food or treats, or a pound of coffee? Perhaps a care package with some treats? Mike and I are financially good right now but the gifts people have given since I lost my job did more than give us something nice, they filled us with love and gratitude. That's the perfect gift!
I have been unemployed for 21 days and have been blown away by the love and support I have received from friends, family, colleagues and people I don't even know. My hope is that all of us can do this, reaching out to those who might be in need. When the economy went downhill I clearly remember shelters I volunteer at getting more and more filled with dogs and cats from families who could no longer afford their care because of loss of a job or home. What can all of us to to support those who aren't quite there yet, but are struggling to care for their beloved companion animals?
Today when I go to the Max Fund going to donate dog and cat food for families struggling. I don't know what else to do but will ask them. I'm not sure how many animal shelters or homeless shelters have options to support those struggling, but I am sure there is something all of us can do.
Will you join us and reach out to those in need?
Thank you for reading!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Protecting our companion animals
In the recent past two companion dogs have been killed by police officers in the metro-Denver area. One of these killings happened last week.
Mike and I share our lives and our home with six companion animals: Rock, Miguel, Suga and Monty the dogs and Chin and Cheng the chinchillas. As all of you do for your companion animals, I love each of them with all of my heart and do everything I can to make sure they are safe, loved and happy.
Both dogs that were shot by the police had families that loved them.
I can't even imagine what those families are going through. In one case the dog got out of the house. In the other, the police entered the wrong house.
I love letting our dogs out front. For the most part they stay with me. For the most part. I have to keep an eye on them. Mike has tried so many times to get me to stop letting them out front, and I assure you I am as close as ever. Except for Miguel. He'll stay with me and not leave the yard, even if another dog comes by.
Our dogs are up to date on their shots. They are all licensed. They have a huge fenced-in backyard where they are safe to roam, play and sniff. We take them around the block and to a local open space for walks. And of course they are loved on all the time!
After the first dog was shot and killed I considered writing a letter to our Chief of Police asking him to create a policy or strengthen a current policy on interaction with people's companion animals. Now I am for sure going to write the letter, and perhaps contact my two city council members. Many times I have written about encouraging our readers to be the voice for the voiceless. This is an example of doing just that.
I ask you to make a connecting with your local police department and to ask the person(s) who represents you on city council to make sure that companion animals are protected from police in any situation unless death or injury is imminent. The more we talk about this and the mroe we communicate our thoughts to those in power, the likelihood of another dog being killed by police decreases.
Will you join us?
Thank you for reading!
Mike and I share our lives and our home with six companion animals: Rock, Miguel, Suga and Monty the dogs and Chin and Cheng the chinchillas. As all of you do for your companion animals, I love each of them with all of my heart and do everything I can to make sure they are safe, loved and happy.
Both dogs that were shot by the police had families that loved them.
I can't even imagine what those families are going through. In one case the dog got out of the house. In the other, the police entered the wrong house.
I love letting our dogs out front. For the most part they stay with me. For the most part. I have to keep an eye on them. Mike has tried so many times to get me to stop letting them out front, and I assure you I am as close as ever. Except for Miguel. He'll stay with me and not leave the yard, even if another dog comes by.
Our dogs are up to date on their shots. They are all licensed. They have a huge fenced-in backyard where they are safe to roam, play and sniff. We take them around the block and to a local open space for walks. And of course they are loved on all the time!
After the first dog was shot and killed I considered writing a letter to our Chief of Police asking him to create a policy or strengthen a current policy on interaction with people's companion animals. Now I am for sure going to write the letter, and perhaps contact my two city council members. Many times I have written about encouraging our readers to be the voice for the voiceless. This is an example of doing just that.
I ask you to make a connecting with your local police department and to ask the person(s) who represents you on city council to make sure that companion animals are protected from police in any situation unless death or injury is imminent. The more we talk about this and the mroe we communicate our thoughts to those in power, the likelihood of another dog being killed by police decreases.
Will you join us?
Thank you for reading!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Make a plan for your companion animals
Reading an article this morning reminded me about a blog post I have been meaning to write. The article is about a woman who passed away suddenly and how the local animal shelter is taking care of her dog.
We have run into this a lot. I remember several years back when we met Linus and Lucy. I was at Maxfund cleaning cages. They were sharing a cage and I realized that they were petrified. I learned that their person had passed away suddenly and they had ended up in a shelter. In the couple of hours that I was there they pooped all over themselves three times. I called Mike and we took them in as fosters.
Linus and Lucy were both older, Maltese-mix dogs. Beautiful and loving. We could tell that they had been loved and adored. They were definitely freaked out about losing their person AND ending up in a noisy shelter.
They loved being with us. Whenever Mike was home they were on his lap. There was never enough cuddle time for them!
After a couple of weeks with us a wonderful woman adopted them.
Please make a plan for your companion animals. Yes, I mean including them in your will. If you don't have a will, you can still plan for your animals by making agreements with your friends or family. We have fostered and cared for so many beautiful dogs whose person did not have a plan. The ones we have cared for were the lucky ones.
We have a plan. And we are part of some of our friends' plans. We want to make sure that all of our family members will be taken care of and loved by people we know if anything tragic happens to us.
So go ahead. Do it today. Call a friend or favorite family member or someone who works at your vets office. Make sure your family member(s) is/are going to be safe if something unforeseen happens.
Thanks for reading!
We have run into this a lot. I remember several years back when we met Linus and Lucy. I was at Maxfund cleaning cages. They were sharing a cage and I realized that they were petrified. I learned that their person had passed away suddenly and they had ended up in a shelter. In the couple of hours that I was there they pooped all over themselves three times. I called Mike and we took them in as fosters.
Linus and Lucy were both older, Maltese-mix dogs. Beautiful and loving. We could tell that they had been loved and adored. They were definitely freaked out about losing their person AND ending up in a noisy shelter.
They loved being with us. Whenever Mike was home they were on his lap. There was never enough cuddle time for them!
After a couple of weeks with us a wonderful woman adopted them.
Please make a plan for your companion animals. Yes, I mean including them in your will. If you don't have a will, you can still plan for your animals by making agreements with your friends or family. We have fostered and cared for so many beautiful dogs whose person did not have a plan. The ones we have cared for were the lucky ones.
We have a plan. And we are part of some of our friends' plans. We want to make sure that all of our family members will be taken care of and loved by people we know if anything tragic happens to us.
So go ahead. Do it today. Call a friend or favorite family member or someone who works at your vets office. Make sure your family member(s) is/are going to be safe if something unforeseen happens.
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Overwhelming grief
On January 30th of this year our beloved Shadow passed away. I wrote about her life and had wonderful conversations with our readers about the loss I felt and the amazing gratitude I felt for having had the privilege of being part of her life.
Shadow lived a full 14 years before she met us. When we met her she had suffered neglect, but she was spry and loving. Our original deal was to foster her so I picked her up one day from a temporary situation and drove her to the vet for a checkup.
I will never forget her being in the passenger seat of my truck and once I stopped in the parking lot at the vets she walked onto my lap and gave me a big kiss. I said to her then not to do that as I was only fostering her.
She knew better than that.
Shadow was 18 when she passed away. The sadness was hardcore. I took a half-day off of work, shared with friends and family about my sadness and sense of loss, and moved on.
So I thought.
What I truly love about this blog and the relationship I have built with those who read this blog and support it is that I have always been honest about what I write about and how I truly feel about the topic or the situation.
The grief I have is still incredibly strong. Sure, I smile, I go to work and rock it, I volunteer, I love on our companion animals, I make sure my husband knows how much I love and adore him. Yet in the quiet of the drive home, the still morning in my office before others arrive, reading in bed at night or swinging on the backyard hammock, the grief I feel for the loss of my Shadow is strong and feels like it will never pass.
Some days I still think Shadow is physically here. I hear something in the bedroom and think it is her getting up to come join us. Or I turn the light on in the bedroom and immediately turn it off remembering that she is in there sleeping when in fact she's not. And so on.
I know the hardcore grief will pass. And I am way grateful to all of you for your love, support and stories of those you have lost. I am also grateful to feel the love for another living being, and feel the pain that goes with not having them in my life anymore. The love I feel for this little 14 pound lovely is truly a gift.
Thank you for reading!
Shadow lived a full 14 years before she met us. When we met her she had suffered neglect, but she was spry and loving. Our original deal was to foster her so I picked her up one day from a temporary situation and drove her to the vet for a checkup.
I will never forget her being in the passenger seat of my truck and once I stopped in the parking lot at the vets she walked onto my lap and gave me a big kiss. I said to her then not to do that as I was only fostering her.
She knew better than that.
Shadow was 18 when she passed away. The sadness was hardcore. I took a half-day off of work, shared with friends and family about my sadness and sense of loss, and moved on.
So I thought.
What I truly love about this blog and the relationship I have built with those who read this blog and support it is that I have always been honest about what I write about and how I truly feel about the topic or the situation.
The grief I have is still incredibly strong. Sure, I smile, I go to work and rock it, I volunteer, I love on our companion animals, I make sure my husband knows how much I love and adore him. Yet in the quiet of the drive home, the still morning in my office before others arrive, reading in bed at night or swinging on the backyard hammock, the grief I feel for the loss of my Shadow is strong and feels like it will never pass.
Some days I still think Shadow is physically here. I hear something in the bedroom and think it is her getting up to come join us. Or I turn the light on in the bedroom and immediately turn it off remembering that she is in there sleeping when in fact she's not. And so on.
I know the hardcore grief will pass. And I am way grateful to all of you for your love, support and stories of those you have lost. I am also grateful to feel the love for another living being, and feel the pain that goes with not having them in my life anymore. The love I feel for this little 14 pound lovely is truly a gift.
Thank you for reading!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)