Good News From Camper Pup

Ronnie and Petey snoozing.

The only really hard thing about our Caring Kids Dog  Training 101 -- Tricks, Treats & Tips Camp was saying good-bye to the pups.  The eight campers not only taught the four pups to sits, lie down, stand and a couple of tricks, they bathed them, cleaned up their soiled areas and loved them like they were their own.   One of the pups was adopted by the pair of brothers who trained her.   Their good-bye, was more like "See you in a couple of days."   But the other three pups were adopted into new homes the weekend after camp ended, leaving  the six remaining campers wondering about their pup's post-camp life.    


It looks like all is well.  Our campers received the following update --


Pickle is doing great!  Her new name is Rhonda Pickle but we call her Ronnie for short, sometimes just Ron :) Ronnie has a brother named Petey that she loves to play and wrestle around with.  Ronnie is growing everyday and can now jump up on the couch and the bed.  She loves long walks and just started having fun at the dog park.  Ronnie loves to snuggle up on the couch.  Her favorite thing to do is chew on her bully bones.  You kids did a great job teaching Pickle how to sit and to use the pee pee pads....Ronnie Pickle is almost potty trained.  She is such a sweet dog and we love her so much.  I have attached some pictures of her for you to enjoy.  Thanks for taking such great care of her.  She loved her time at the Rescue League.

Creative Cats Toys at a Fraction of the Cost

Does the title sound like a commercial?   There are lots of cat toys out there.  If you google best cat toy you  get 23,400,000 hits including 1,240,000  home made toys.  Most do-it-yourself toys  are simple like --
 Brown paper grocery bags and boxes make great cat caves.
 Toss a ping pong ball, cat toy, or one of the recycled toys from above, into the bag or box.
 For a fancier cat hide-away, cut holes in a large box and hang long ribbons from the openings and pitch toys into the openings for kitty to find.
Others require a little more imagination, like the toy Zack Scott, with the help of his feline friend, Otto,demonstrates.  Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adXTF5wPft4.

A bed and a buddy -- What could be better?

Klaus, a staff favorite, lived at the League for a very long time.  I am happy to report that the friendly fellow finally found his forever home with people and cat buddy, Abby.  Well, buddy may be too strong of a word.   We are told that the two cats are still working out the balance of power.    By the looks of the pics, Klaus is not  the slightest bit bothered  by Abby's initial slight.  Obviously Klaus is, if not King of his new castle, at the very least chief inhabitant  of the big blue bed!

Serendipitous Meetings With League Alumni

Early spring I noticed that a really cute, familiar-looking  dog was living in a house around the corner.     Recently, I saw my neighbor walking the happy, little dog.  Nigel and I caught up to her and I asked about the energetic little beagle mix.  She said that she adopted him from the League nearly a year ago.

Herbie's not the only WARL alum I've come across recently.   Nigel and I went to watch Max and his new baseball team play their first game this past weekend.  One of Max's teammates' parent was also holding the the leash of a big black dog.  Nigel and Gertie liked each other instantly.    I  asked about Gertie and found out that she was one of the G pups adopted from the League nearly four years ago. 

We do our best to find the animals wonderful, forever homes.   It is always nice to get an update from an adopter -- a holiday card, an anniversary update, a returned adoption questionnaire -- and it is always a pleasant surprise to run into  those well-cared for, happy-go-lucky pups and baseball-loving black labs who were adopted from the Washington Animal Rescue League.

Hooray for Hachi!

Sometimes it takes a while to find the right home.   Such was the case with Encore who came to the League in March after being removed from a horrible hoarding situation that included more than 300 dogs.  The small cream-colored  husky mix, with the soulful eyes, finally found his forever home earlier this month.  Now named Hachi, the dog who once had to fight for his food is showered with love and attention, and shares his bed with boy of his own.   His guardian reports that Hachi is the ideal school alarm clock -- Up and ready to go no later than 7:15 a.m. every morning, days off included! 

Noah Update from Forever Home!

Remember Noah, the spectacular tabby who flew to Washington after his home was devastated in Joplin Missouri? Enjoy the update sent by his loving guardian.



HOME!!

 I am writing to update you on Noah who came home with me on Saturday August 27th. It was a very lucky day for both of us! 

The first thing to tell you is that I renamed him Cherubino after the character in Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. My other cat is named Figaro (also FIV positive like Cherubino) so it seemed fitting. He of course does not care about his name and he'll come whether I call him or not, he's such a people-oriented cat.

The second thing to say is that he has adjusted perfectly to his new home. I followed instructions about keeping him segregated at first in a separate room. Well, someone forgot to tell him about it because he quickly made himself at home in the entire apartment and Figaro's food, water dish, and litter box.
The third thing to mention is that Cherubino has discovered his inner kitten. Remember the quiet, sweet Noah sitting patiently in the Tower room? Meet Cherubino the whirlwind! He runs around as if pursued, climbs everywhere, and insists of checking out inside closets, drawers, cabinets, boxes, and whatever else tickles his fancy. This behavior leaves both Figaro and myself exhausted.
Finally I want to say thank you for rescuing such a lovely creature. He is sweet and gives back so much love that I'm sometimes speechless (this is not easy to do). He has taken over my bed, my heart, and me.

What Happened, Charlotte?

When Max and I walked into the house yesterday he immediately noticed something different about Charlotte, "What Happened ?"he asked.   "To what?" I said.   "To Charlotte."   "Nothing happened to Charlotte," I said, "What do you mean?"  "Part of her ear is missing."   "WHAT!!"  Sure enough the tip of Charlotte's ear was gone.   Her perfect little symmetrical face, with two pointy ears, was perfect no more.    How could this happen?  She lives inside, we touch and play with her constantly -- when did this happen?


Charlotte on her way to the Medical Center

 I immediately called the Washington Animal League's Medical Center to make sure that a veterinarian could see her right away.  Max put Charlotte in the carrier and the three of us zoomed to the League.  I was sure that Merl ate part of Charlotte's ear.  Dr. Shillito said that it was possible that Merl bit Charlotte, but not so probable.  He said that these things happen -- maybe Merl hooked a nail on the tip of Charlotte's ear and it ripped off.  YUK!  Or maybe she caught it on some object and ripped it off.   EEEEK!  --  How can I Charlotte-proof everything, including Merl?  In any case, Dr. Shillito said that the ear tear was not life threatening.  In fact, he didn't even stitch it (there's nothing left to stitch), or  send us home with antibiotics.  He said that, although not perfectly pointy, her ear is fine; however, he said that she should lose weight.   Little Charlotte, he said, is FAT.

Take Two!

Pisa and Austin

 

One of the best things about taking a couple of days off is coming back to the League to find that lots of animals  found their forever homes.   Our back-to-school Labor Day weekend event was very successful.  Pisa and Tampano were two of the lucky cats who went home.  Not only did they get adopted, but they got adopted together.   I am a firm believer in the notion that two cats are better than one.  They often play together.  Watching two cats interact is better than even the very best reality tv!  Pisa and Tampano not only have each other, but they each have their very own person!

Robert & Tampano

Dear Employees and Volunteers of the WARL,

My husband, son and I attended your Back to School Event on Saturday, September 3rd and left with two new feline additions to our family.  We adopted Pisa and Tampano, both who quickly established their roles in our house within hours of their homecoming.Tampano is the perfect playmate for my son Austin, both of them having an amazing amount of energy, and Pisa is the sweetest lap-cat who’s taken to my husband Robert.....

Lisa