A New Year for a New Poodle

Poor Charlie looked more bedraggled mop than canine when he arrived at HSCC.

A white miniature poodle mix, Charlie had been purchased at a pet store as a young puppy. Over the next five years, his daily life was limited almost entirely to the confines of his home.

As our medical supervisor, Jen, examined his severely matted coat and overgrown toenails (which were so long that they were causing his toes to twist in odd directions), Charlie bravely held still for her—but quietly shook in fear. With the help of our canine supervisor, Robyn, Jen gave him the first grooming he’d seen in a very long time—carefully shaving the tangled fur that was matted down to his skin in some places, and clipping his curling nails. 

Left: Charlie's overgrown nails.       Right: Charlie's right front leg groomed.

Two and a half hours later, Charlie resembled a miniature poodle again! Yay, Charlie!

His medical check-in and grooming complete, Charlie’s first major ordeal was over. But he now had to face life at the shelter. Robyn brought him downstairs to the kennels, where he was greeted by loud barking and strange dogs staring at him from behind their glass doors. According to his former owner, Charlie had never met another dog before. He’d never met many other people aside from his owner, either, and now suddenly he was being cleaned, fed, and let outdoors by multiple unfamiliar people. Not surprisingly, Charlie reacted with fear-based aggression over the next few days, growling and barking at our staff from within his kennel. When reached for, Charlie would growl and lunge, and we had to keep a lightweight leash attached to him to avoid having to reach for him directly. 

Fortunately, once outside of his kennel, Charlie would eventually warm up to his handler, and after some time even began to solicit attention and play!

Though he was making progress, we realized that Charlie would gain the confidence and world exposure he needed a lot faster in a foster home. He needed a quiet space with patient, dog-savvy folks who could invest a lot of time in giving him positive experiences with new things. Robyn contacted Poodle Rescue of New England to see if they might be able to take Charlie into rescue. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any room, but referred us to Poodle Rescue of Vermont. Within moments of seeing Charlie’s picture, Poodle Rescue of Vermont agreed to take him!

Soon after we'd said goodbye to Charlie and wished him luck, we received an update from the president of the Poodle Rescue, Terri Gerard, saying that as soon as Charlie reached his foster home, he ran right up the steps, found his dinner, and gobbled the whole thing down. A great first start!

Charlie's foster dad works from home, so the pair bonded quickly, and Charlie spent his afternoons napping right next to his foster dad's desk.

Now, two weeks later, Terri writes:

Charlie is such a little superhero who has come so far from the scared little boy in the shelter. Charlie has had his first professional groom at Doggie Styles in Colchester. Charlie raced around the place happy to meet all the dogs there, large and small.  

Since arriving in foster care with Poodle Rescue of Vermont, Charlie has mastered the stairs, is nearly 100% potty trained and has expanded his play to toys other than a ball and has an excellent appetite and eats two meals a day. Charlie is working on losing a few pounds which will come off easily now that he is getting exercise and a healthy diet. Just in the last few days, Charlie will leave his foster Dad's side and venture into the other room to snooze by the fire. 

Charlies' foster parents had a very busy holiday season and Charlie was right in the thick of it, with overnight house guests, parties, other family dogs. Charlie had a few moments of nervousness and feeling unsure but for the most part, no one would be able to know that just a few weeks prior Charlie was in terrible shape. 

Charlie went snowshoeing this past weekend, riding in a front pack and enjoyed the trip very much.

Could Charlie have ever envisioned a life like this just one month ago? For this little poodle, the New Year truly brought a new life.

Charlie is currently available for adoption through Poodle Rescue of Vermont. Click here to view him on their site.
 
Charlie was in a loving home for the holidays, and so were the 725 other formerly homeless animals we matched with new families in 2012--plus 25 lost animals who were reunited with their people!

Of course, we wouldn’t have been able to place any animals in homes if you--our community--hadn't opened your doors to them. This is teamwork, really, and we’re so grateful to be partnering with such a compassionate community! Whether you adopted, fostered, volunteered, or donated in 2012, THANK YOU for helping us give so many dogs, cats, and small animals a better life.

In Lieu of Gifts

When I ask eight-year-old Aidan Hall if he has any pets, he gives me a businesslike nod. “We have four dogs, two cats, four turtles, two tortoises, a Quaker parrot, three hermit crabs, and Biscuit.” (Biscuit is a hamster the family recently adopted from HSCC.)  When I look at Aidan’s mom in surprise, she explains, “I used to work for Dr. Metz at Shelburne Vet.”

Aidan visiting the cats at HSCC

I ask Aidan if he has a favorite animal and he says no—he likes them all. I ask him if he helps care for the animals at home. Aidan gives another serious nod. I expect him to tell me that he feeds them dinner or walks the dogs with his mom. Instead, he surprises me again with, “Buddy the parrot used to be quite cage-aggressive. I’ve been working with him—petting his head through the cage and feeding him.” Aidan demonstrates how he strokes Buddy’s head. “Now, I can put my hand in the cage and he doesn’t bite.” Training an animal out of cage aggression—that’s a complicated challenge for a professional trainer! Let alone the fact that this eight-year-old boy is even familiar with the term “cage-aggression.” 

It may come as no surprise that HSCC ranks among Aidan’s favorite causes. However, the fact that a child would forgo gifts for his own birthday to benefit an organization—that’s yet another remarkable feat for this young man. This summer, Aidan asked his birthday guests to donate to HSCC rather than buy him presents. He ended up collecting $200 for the shelter, plus cat toys and dog biscuits. I asked Aidan why he’d choose to give up gifts on his birthday. “I have bazillions of toys in my room,” he explains. “Probably more than 50. I don’t need more.” 

Aidan has demonstrated this philanthropic bent since turning six. Two years ago he selected Outreach for Earth Stewardship as the beneficiary nonprofit, and last year he chose Hunger Free Vermont. He picked HSCC this year because of his obvious love for animals. 

I asked him how he felt turning in his donations, and he says, “proud.”  “Aidan’s never been ‘stuff-oriented,’” his mom says, equally proud. 

Another one of our long-time supporters can relate to Aidan’s lack of interest in “stuff.”

"None of us need more stuff,” says Emily Morrow, a former kitten foster mom and HSCC adopter. “Stuff is more of a problem than a benefit. Giving in tangible ways gives me a more tangible sense of happiness." Emily celebrated her 60^th birthday this year, and also asked her guests to donate to HSCC in lieu of buying her gifts. 

Emily explains that she chose HSCC as the beneficiary of her birthday honor because it makes her sad to think of animals not being cared for. In addition to adopting animals from our shelter and fostering kittens, Emily felt this was an effective and meaningful way for her to help.

"It made me feel great to do this," Emily says. She had gotten the idea from young couples she knew who asked their wedding guests to donate to charities rather than give gifts. 

We have an example of that, too! One of our board members, Kyla Sternlieb, was recently married. She and her husband Bruce Lisman asked their friends to donate to HSCC in honor of their marriage. Well, we never could have predicted this, but that simple ask raised nearly $10,000 for our shelter!

Because we rely almost entirely (88%) upon donations from individuals to keep our shelter and programs running, we are enormously grateful when our community gets creative in finding ways to support our mission. 

Aidan's donation jar. Notice his rendering of our logo at the top!

Thanks to EVERYONE who’s set personal gain aside to benefit homeless animals--as well as those who have made a donation in someone's honor!

Because really, isn't a companion animal's love the greatest gift of all?

Booey (formerly Fred), adopted this summer, with new best friend Emma.

Chubbs

Hello, all!

We have an unusual category of adopted animals to report this week: PUPPIES! After a long lull with no puppies, HSCC recently had a sudden influx of youngsters. Of course they never stick around for long … Congrats to Ricki, Sienna, Javelin, Dash, Montel and Fallon on finding new homes to grow up in!

Javelin and Dash

We had four adult dog adoptions, as well: Thumper, Speedy, Gracie and Copper went home.

Kittens Dill, Butter, Vlasic, Gherkin, Bugs, Sylvester and Merle are romping in new homes!

And 12 adult cats became new family members over the last couple of weeks. Congrats to Agatha, Cliff, Silver, Bewster, Cooper, Zoey, Sparkles, Dilly, Loki, Abbott, and Muffin!

Our featured pet this week is also a cat, and we're returning to a previous adoptee. Chubbs the cat went home at the end of July--but his story is just too good to skip.

Chubbs

Chubbs arrived at our shelter in mid-April. True to his name, he weighed in at 19.6 pounds. Despite his plump physique, we found Chubbs very handsome with his smart orange tabby coat and engaging yellow eyes. His owner, Sally, was moving to the Midwest, and would not be able to take him in the car with her. She explained that Chubbs was deathly afraid of his carrier, and could never tolerate the road trip.

We gave Chubbs the usual medical check-up that we provide all animals on arrival: checked his skin and coat, eyes, ears, mouth, teeth and gums. We gave him a blood test for FIV, which tested negative. We tested him for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) … and it came back faintly positive. Twice. Not good! Obviously, we can't expose our entire feline population to FeLV. So Chubbs moved into a medical isolation room while we considered what to do next.

In the meantime, staff addressed Chubbs' carrier phobia. Our resident cats are fed in their carriers: convenient because it allows us to clean their living spaces, and beneficial because it helps them associate their carriers with yummy food. But cats with extreme crate aversion are treated to our "I Hate My Crate" intervention program. The averse kitty is assigned a chart on which staff notates which rewards they've tried to convince the cat that a crate ain't so bad, and how effective each tactic is. Staff might try stocking the crate with especially yummy treats or tuna, filling it with a blanket that the cat's been sleeping on (familiar smells are comforting), or placing a cotton ball soaked with Feliway (a synthetic copy of the feline facial pheromone used by cats to mark their territory as safe and secure) in the carrier. Ultimately, Chubbs learned to feel comfortable in his crate.

And then good fortune struck. Dr. Ryan Canales of the new Long Trail Veterinary Center in Williston, Vermont dropped by our shelter for a visit. Our medical supervisor, Jen, gave him a tour of the building. When they approached Chubbs' isolation room, Dr. Canales paused and inquired about Chubbs' quarantine. Jen told him about the positive FeLV test results. Dr. Canales suggested we try a different test that's more specific and sensitive. It's also more expensive, but can detect a false positive. Jen followed his advice, sent the test to the lab, and lo and behold, discovered the positive results had been false! Thanks, Dr. Canales!

Chubbs was cleared for adoption take off, and moved to a Tokyo cage in our lobby. ... But there he sat. Chubbs simply didn't elicit much interest from our visitors, and he grew increasingly despondent. Our feline supervisor, Kayla, decided he needed another intervention. Chubbs moved to our administrative area, where most days he was permitted to roam at will. That spiced things up for him!

We soon discovered Chubbs to be the Shaquille O'Neal of cats: despite his prodigious size, Chubbs could MOVE! Our jaws dropped as we watched Chubbs fly across the admin space after plastic balls, scale the backs of computer chairs ("Timmmmmberrrrrrrrr!"), and leap three-foot gates. On days we needed him sequestered in an office, we tried stacking two gates in the doorway. That didn't deter Chubbs, who nimbly leapt five feet, caught the top of the gate with his paws, and hauled himself over the top.

In the meantime, we opted to cut dry food from Chubbs' diet in an attempt to bring his weight down (we supplemented it with more wet food). The diet change coupled with the exercise did wonders for Chubbs' waistline. In fact, over the three months he was here, Chubbs lost a little over two pounds!

And we fell in love … although Chubbs wasn't always a charmer. In perhaps stereotypical feline style, Chubbs desired affection on his own terms. Often, after just a few pets, Chubbs would roll on his back and dare you to try that again. Other times, he'd seem positively voracious for attention, and would claim a staff person's lap as his own--purring and kneading and rubbing his nose all over his hostage's face. One quickly learned to let Chubbs call the shots. 

Still, how could we not fall in love with a cat as intelligent and inquisitive and wholly active as Chubbs? He loved new objects and changes in his environment. He liked meeting new people (though with some time for deliberation). He was very curious about the other cats and dogs who occasionally visited the administrative area, and developed a peaceful coexistence with staff dogs.   

Sadly, though several potential adopters did meet Chubbs, none left totally impressed (probably didn't help when he got a little swatty with them). Chubbs grew bored again, and we did our best to keep his environment enriched.

Chubbs nesting in cat grass.

But good fortune had not forgotten this plump pussycat. In early July, Kayla received an email from Sally, Chubbs' former owner. She missed him dearly. She'd be returning to Burlington for a visit in late July, and would now be able to fly him back to the Midwest with her. Was he still available? He sure was!

We thought surely Chubbs would be adopted before Sally's visit … but at least we had a back-up plan. However, when mid-July rolled around and Chubbs was still here, we began to hold our collective breath for Sally's return. On July 20, we put Chubbs on hold for Sally. And on July 21, she made it to the shelter just before we closed, completed the adoption requirements, and scooped Chubbs up!

There wasn't time for the joyous reunion we'd all yearned to observe. But fortunately, the story doesn't end on that anticlimactic note!

Sally had spoken with a veterinarian ahead of time about Chubbs' flight home. He recommended she give Chubbs both Comfort Zone and Composure before the flight, and reminded her that he would need a health certificate signed by a veterinarian and a carrier small enough to fit under her seat (good thing we worked on crate training!).

Sally followed his advice … but ran into a problem at the airport when she got to security. Apparently, she had trace amounts of the rememdies she'd given Chubbs on her hands, and one of them tested positive for explosives! Chubbs had been taken out of his carrier and patted down for weapons! Sally says that Chubbs was so drugged that he didn't mind being dangled in the air while they looked him over (she felt a little traumatized for him, though!). Fortunately, the rest of his journey went smoothly.

Sally reports that Chubbs does seem to remember her (he slept next to her the entire first night of their reunion) and is enjoying his new home. A six-toed cat often comes calling on the porch, and Chubbs enjoys covertly spying on him. 

Chubbs' new friend.

This brainy orange kitty lists James Patterson among his favorite authors (when it comes to napping, anyway), and is very considerate about keeping Sally's graduate school assignments warm. 

Fortunately, Chubbs would rather sleep on homework than eat it.

From a medical isolation room at the shelter to a new home in a big city halfway across the country … Chubbs' journey has been long and sometimes arduous. But good fortune always stepped in just when his situation seemed particularly dire. We'll never forget this floppy-tummied kitty or his funny antics ... and Sally sent us a photo to remember him by. 

That's the good news this week from HSCC.

If Your Love Should Stray

Hi all!

July has been our Cat Days of Summer promotional month: the adoption fee for all adult cats has been reduced to just $50 (usually $95). I'm very, very happy to report that we're dealing with either happy coincidence or enormous promotional success … either way, a LOT of cats have gone home this month!

Congrats to: Simba, Charlotte, Tiara, Gabby, Potter, Cali, Kermit, Magnum, Cameron, Baby, Buck, Moe, Sova, Pantera, Kusco, Frita, Lucy, Patches, Ruby, Buddy, CHUBBS!, Hawthorn, Graphite, Tubby, Tank, Spade, and Finkster.

Tubby was adopted last week!

The promo isn't quite over yet … still one day left to bring a new feline companion into your family at the reduced adoption rate!

Our kittens have been going just as quickly, of course; their babyish cuteness is the only promotion they need. Congrats to Friday, Pikachu, Pudge, Sonoma, Smokey, Napa, Dasher, Cupid, Dancer, Prancer, Comet, Donner, Ariel, Jasmine and Belle on their new homes.

We had one rabbit adoption last week: Quincey! And Alice, Beatrice and Bianca--all guinea pigs--also found new homes.

Our dog population has been incredibly low this summer. In fact, as of last week's census we only had 16 dogs in house (about half our capacity)! So we don't have a lot of dogs to congratulate, which in this case is a happy thing. Brody, Fred, C.J., Miles Davis, Layla, Delilah, and DeeDee found new families.

A few other dogs who never made the adoption floor recently found their way home, too. These three were strays, brought to us by animal control.

We named two of them Little Debbie and Daniel Boone. They seemed to be from the same family, as they clearly knew each other and seemed very close. In fact, the animal control officer (ACO) had only been able to catch Daniel Boone … but once he got Daniel in the truck, Little Debbie came running and jumped in the truck of her own accord, not wanting to be without her buddy! Both appeared to be older in age and we found a number of tumors on one of the dogs. Little Debbie was so covered in fleas that most of the hair on her lower back around her tail area was missing.  

Fortunately, we were able to find a microchip in one of these dogs and tracked down the person listed on the chip--a woman who lives in New York State. Upon getting in touch with her, this woman told us that when she and her partner had separated, he had taken the two dogs (actually named Lady and Baxter). She had not seen the pups in over two years and had assumed that they were still living with her ex-partner. After hearing from us, she checked in with her ex, who said he had re-homed Lady and Baxter. There the trail goes cold. The important thing is, they ended up back together again, and were found by the police.

After completing their mandatory week-long stay (legal hold) at the animal control facility, Lady and Baxter were turned over to us. We decided to place this pair with their original owner, who was very obviously upset over the ordeal the dogs had been through and was eager to take them back to her farm in New York. She said the dogs are very bonded and was not surprised they had been found together. She joyously picked them up at the shelter (Lady and Baxter no doubt equally joyous!) and brought them home again.

So why must dogs complete a legal hold with animal control? It's meant to provide owners with time to reclaim the dogs before they're turned over to a third party (like HSCC). Animal control will usually scan a found dog for a microchip and look for ID tags in an effort to contact the owner. Because this is such a small state with a relatively small dog population, it's fairly unusual in Vermont for a dog who is wanted at home to not be reunited with his family. That's why we have very few cases like Lady and Baxter's, in which dogs coming from animal control are returned to their owners. Or like Audrey Hepburn's case. 

Audrey came to us from animal control, too. Our lost cat coordinator, Amanda, regularly checks craigslist.com for lost pet postings, and came across a post for a missing dog named Suzie. Suzie looked just like Audrey, and upon getting in touch with Suzie's people, we soon learned that Audrey was Suzie! The really frustrating thing was that she had been missing for two weeks--all the while sitting in animal control, right there for reclaiming. Unfortunately, the owners had not thought to check with towns outside of the one they occupy (Suzie had ended up in a different town). To make matter worse, they had had Suzie micro-chipped, but numerous scans did not pick up the chip (it will likely need to be re-implanted). Needless to say, the family was thrilled to be reunited with their pup, and we were happy their searching had finally come to fruition, too! 

Working with and understanding the animal control system can be very confusing. It doesn't help that there is no official state- or federally-mandated protocol for how towns must handle strays ... so every town does it a little differently. It's important to learn about your town's process (how long the hold is, where found dogs are posted by animal control, etc.), and especially important to understand that once a dog has been held for their town's required stray hold, the ACO or town officials are free to do whatever they want with the dog (take the dog home, give it away, euthanize it, bring it to the shelter). At that point the original owner is no longer the legal owner of the dog, and may need to go through an adoption process and/or pay fees to get the dog back.  

Some helpful tips:

1) Contact all proper authorities (ACO, police department, humane society, etc.) to report that the dog is missing. Craigslist, Front Porch Forum, the Lost & Found Animals of Vermont Facebook page and other online resources are great, but not all town officials check these for postings of missing dogs. It's best to be as proactive as possible and get the word out to as many people as you can, especially the people who will be caring for the dogs once they are in the care of a municipality.

2) Keep current information on your dog's tags and consider micro-chipping. A microchip is not a tracking device; it's more like information storage. It stores an owner's name, phone number and address, which will appear when the chip is scanned by a shelter or authorities. 

3) Get your dog licensed with the town you live in! It's not only the law, it can help authorities reunite a missing dog with the family it's been licensed to.

4) Call officials in other surrounding towns. Dogs have a tendency to travel long distances and can cover a considerable amount of ground in a short period of time. It's not uncommon for a dog to end up in another municipality before s/he is recovered.

Hope that helps. After all, we'd really like to keep our dog population at its current low numbers ;)

That's the good news this week!