A Short Foster Stay, Bert at Home -- Forever

Bert, formerly known as Kid Rock, did not even spend a full week in his foster home. A couple saw his picture on the WARL web site and knew  that he was the kitty for them.  In no time at all, they consulted with our Behavior and Training staff at the shelter,  met the love of their life in his foster home, completed the adoption application, adopted Bert and took him home.  While Bert was enjoying in his foster home, he is obviously quite content in his forever home.  Have a good life, Bertsie!   

Neighbors Create Toys for Shelter Dogs

Ms. Gillig's Capital City Public Charter School  class spent the winter learning about WARL through classroom visits and trips the League. The students wanted to do something nice for the animals; so, the class talked over their options and decided  to make tug toys for the dogs.   Before the large box of tug  toys went to the shelter -- where the dogs are thoroughly enjoying the colorful ropes -- the students posed for a photo  with their creations.
Thanks, neighbors!

Happy Earth Day!!!

It's still  National Poetry Month and today is Earth Day.   Isn't April great ?  And, to top it off, one of my favorite kitties -- who was fortunate to end up at WARL from another shelter, but stayed here for a very long time without being adopted --  is now luxuriating in his foster home where he decided --  immediately --that the bed in the main bedroom, with  the people in the bed, and the dog in the bed, too, were where he would spend his nights.  ( Yes, I know, that is one, very long run-on sentence!!)  So much more comfy than the nice, but lonely, cat tree in the tower where he resided in Kitty City at WARL.   His foster person is watching him closely before choosing the most perfect name.   At the shelter, this handsome boy was dubbed Kid Rock, not a particularly fitting moniker.  So in honor of the boy's temporary placement and National Poetry Month and Earth Day I have written my own  Haiku that really doesn't reflect Earth Day at all, unless you consider that said foster kitty is not on the street killing birds.

Street wise, scrappy guy

Foster care, cat paradise

Adoption pending -- soon

A Favorite Cat Poem for National Poetry Month

Every Cat Has a Story  by Naomi Shihab Nye

The yellow one from the bakery

smelled like a cream puff-

she followed us home.

We buried our faces

in her sweet fun.

One cat hid her head

while I practiced the violin

But she came out for piano.

At night she played sonatas

on my quilt.

One cat built a secret nest

in my socks.

One sat in the window

staring up the street all day

while we were at school.

One cat loved the radio dial.

One cat almost smiled.

Takoma Park 's 4-H Club's Collection for the Animals Bigger and Better!

2014

2011

When the Takoma Park 4-H Club visited the League on Sunday, April 6th,  they brought their annual WARL donation.  In fact, they had so much to donate, staff used wheelbarrows to help haul in car-loads of donations.  An article in the Takoma Voice newspaper announced that the group would be collecting for the animals at the Takoma Library on March 22-23.  People gave generously to the drive -- blankets, towels, toys, crates & cash.  In addition the collection, the 4-H members refurbished a number of kids' cast-off stuffed animals so the animals at WARL now have newly stuffed toys, complete with squeakers.  WARL volunteer, and head stuffie maker, Kathy D., gave a couple of the members a crash course on recycling the toys, which means taking off anything that a dog or cat could swallow, like plastic eyes. 
Every year the 4-H members choose community service projects  -- many kids  choose  WARL because of their love for helping animals.  And, a few  4-H families have adopted dogs or cats from the League and many others are regular visitors.  This is the fourth year that WARL has been the recipient of the group's charitable work.  Thank you Takoma Park 4-H!

Another Happy Update

A picture --or two-- really is worth a thousand words, or maybe one big long, "OOOOHHHHHH HOW CUTE!" sigh.   We got an email update today saying that the pup, now named Lucky, is almost a year old.  Ryan, her person, said it was love at first sight -- I bet it was mutual.©

First photo at home.

Lucky, all grown up!

Happy National Poetry Month!!!!

I love April.   Flowers bloom, temperatures rise, and we celebrate National Poetry Month!  and, that's no April Fool.   First thing I did this morning was grab Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest's Cat Talk book off the shelf.  Barry Moser's illustrations, coupled with the cat-capturing verbiage gave Nigel and me lots to discuss.  I've known many cats like Princess Sheba Darling, the cat featured in the poem that Nigel is reading.  But, the poem that really got me, was Sylvie, the Boss.  It made me miss my Bruce cat.  Nigel, however, the sweet guy that he is, didn't offer an opinion.

Sylvie, the Boss
I am the boss cat.
I twitch my tail to prove it.
I boss the dogs.
I boss the people.
I boss Romeo, the cat I live with.,
  whenever I can.
I like three thing: 
My food
My windowsill
My people.
And that's enough.