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10:09:00 PM EST
Feeling Quiet
Hearing Prince
It's Right Around the Bend, Waitin' For You!
On the last day of the year, his life was less than five minutes away from ending.
He sat in a small wire cage outside the "euthanasia room" at the city shelter.
I had just sent off a critical email to shelter personnel that the cat named, "Alex" (one of pictures above) was wrongly identified in terms of breed type on the New Hope (euth) list.
"The cat appears to be a Maine Coon, but is described as "DLH," I said.
"If still alive, we will try to make room."
A few minutes later I talked to Jess at the shelter.
"I just pulled him off," she gratefully told me. "He was outside the euth room. You called in the nick of time!"
Alex, who looks extremely scared in the picture was destined for the "room" because of so-called "temperament" issues.
I cannot count all the loving, friendly cats rescued and placed over the years who were doomed in the shelter for so-called "aggression."
I keep saying hissing and growling are signs of fear in a cat, not bad temper.
But, I guess the simple explanation is, they can't put hissy-fit cats into adoptions. Admittedly, it's a dilemma for shelters.
Still, so many cats come in scared! All they need is a little time and tenderness!
Anyway, I now have a couple of days to figure out what I am going to do with this new cat -- and the dog I pulled off the list for different reason.
Am I nuts?
The dog, named, "Donald," (one of the pictures above) is a one of those typical "Shepherd mixes" or Dingo types, I wrote about a few days ago.
Healthy, intelligent, gentle dog, but because of size, age or just being a plain "57 varieties mongrel," is usually doomed in the shelter.
There was just something about his picture that got to me.
OK. So I know I really shouldn't be looking at these "lists" each day.
I have no places to put any more animals.
But, I do because it is part of a promise to the shelter to point out any mistakes in breed typing or other matters that need addressing.
"Matters" like animals who come into the shelter with horrible names.
"Just because the former owners were assholes in giving the animals disgusting names doesn't mean the shelter should keep those names!" I once admonished in an email.
Ed Boks (former AC&C Director) agreed with me and advised shelter staffers to change animal's names when the names were particularly abhorrent.
After all, who is going to adopt/rescue a dog named "Hitler" or "Gunpowder," or "Manson?" Or, a cat named, "Cocaine," or "Stinky?" (Names I have actually seen on shelter animals).
Nevertheless, despite the agreement on name-changes, today on the New Hope list was a nice looking white, three-year-old Pit Bull named, "Fang." (also pictured)
Shelter staffers apparently forgot to change her name.
So, another email went out:
"Where are Fang's fangs? Who is going to adopt or rescue a dog with this name?"
But, Fang, I didn't offer to take.
Not because I didn't want to. But, more for the practical reasons of no where to put her.
Still, there is the fantasy.....
If the dog is as mean as the name implies, it would be nice, just once, to set the mean "Pit Bull on Crack" (quoting from a Steve Tyler tee-shirt) on some of those people who abuse animals, neglect them, abandon right before a major holiday or just give them particularly horrible names!
"Hey, Fang, show your fangs!"
Just a little show of fangs or small bite on the ass.
I feel bad that I couldn't save Fang.
Something tells me she was probably a nice dog with a really stupid owner.
Most likely dumped at the shelter for failure to live up to her name.
Like all those hissy-fit "aggressive" cats from lousy homes who later turn out to be total sweethearts.
But, at least for one cat and one dog whose lives were about to go out with the old year, there is, instead, 2006 to look forward to.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, ALEX AND DONALD!
It's right around the bend, waitin' for you......
***********
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Thanks for your lovely comment.
As you point out, a little patience and love go a long way.
Sadly, they seem in short supply these days.
Wish there were more people like you for all the animals in our shelters or on streets.
Take Care! -
Mandy787, Bless your sweet, intelligent, giving, loving heart. You are an angel to these precious animals. You make such good sense about the difference it can make in an animal's name or what the animals temperament is listed as or type of breed is recorded. Of course, these animals are afraid, when people they don't know, suffle them from cage to cage and leave them there.
I do not know why some ignorant people see animals as disposible. It is so sickening to me.
We just adopted a two-year old cat from a shelter in December where they said she had an attitude problem. We have two other cats. She is absolutely adorable. The cats don't always get along, but that is ok. We people don't either. She loves us and is very loving, and she really does work hard on "fitting in" and we think she is doing such a wonderful job!!!! Our other cats are working on it also!!!! All we know is we are thankful for her and so very glad that we got her.
Happy New Year to you and all your Alex's and Donald's
TJ
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