PetLvr.com - [The Blog]

Okay, we all know that you can donate a bag of dog food or a cat carrier to the animal shelter, or that you can volunteer or foster, right? But the truth is, shelters can put a variety of items to good use, many of which have nothing to do directly with pets. I’m willing to bet you even have at least one item on this list lying around the house unused.

1. Blankets and Bedding:

If you’ve got an old sheet set from a mattress given away years ago, extra receiving blankets from your nephew’s arrival, or the puke green afghan Aunt Sally gave you for your wedding gathering dust, you’ve got a perfect donation for your favorite animal shelter. Concrete floors are no fun to sleep on, so shelters collect pet beds and blankets for the animals. Baby receiving blankets are perfect for most shelters’ cat cages. Larger blankets will be put in dogs’ runs, where they can sleep on them or play with them, providing enrichment as well as comfort. Crowded municipal shelters are particularly in need of bedding, because most pets won’t have a bed or toys unless some are donated.
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Over the last week, emotions have run high for the Montgomery County Animal Shelter, which provides a home for an average of 3,000 pets every month. Shelters have been banning together to rescue animals abandoned and homeless from the hurricanes, but they cannot continue their efforts without the help from the public. Shelters have limited space to care for animals, and if the animals are not adopted, they have to be put down. However, Brazos Valley residents stepped in and helped adopt the rescued animals.

During the next week, the Montgomery County Animal Shelter is expecting to receive hundreds of more animals from Galveston and Houston. These pets go through a traumatic experience, and it doesn’t end when they reach a shelter. It’s up to individuals and families to adopt these animals, so they don’t become euthanized.

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Dear Petlvr Mailbag …

Well, the inevitable happened. I had my 10 month old cat scheduled to get spayed, and she escaped and got pregnant 2 weeks prior to the spay-date.

Ugh.

Anyway - I now have 4 beautiful kittens that need homes. I am going to keep one, so I need homes for 3. Do you have any suggestions as to go about finding them suitable and happy homes?

Side note: When they were 2 weeks old, mama cat became ill and after taking her to the vet, I had to hand-feed the kittens myself, so I’m very attached. It’s going to be sad to let them go, but I have to.

- Kitten Chaos

Dear Chaos,
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The Missing Pets Bureau says that more than 2,500 dogs and 3,200 cats go missing every week. Some pets lose their way while others are actually stolen. Either way, it becomes difficult to locate where your pet went, but precautions, persistence and patience can help bring you back in touch with the missing pet in your life.

Recently, a cat named Mousie was reunited with his owner, Ira Bauert, after a year since his disappearance. Mousie went missing while Bauert was on holiday vacation. Diana Lewis of the North Devon Animal Ambulance found the cat, and she discovered that Mousie had been micro-chipped in Germany. Temporarily Mousie was nicknamed Herman the German, and he was put in isolation for four months before he could be sent home.

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Prizes, games, entertainment, fun, child-friendly, pet-friendly — what more can get from a summer time event? Pet parades are taking place all over the country this summer, and if you have never attended one, now is the time. Your pet might even be lucky enough to bring ribbons or prizes home.

According to the LaGrange Pet Parade website (www.lgpetparade.org/), they were the first to start pet parades in the United States. Their track record is quite impressive, as they have put on 62 parades. Not only is a pet parade an exciting event for the community, but it also brings local animal shelters and rescue groups together. In addition, these parades praise pets and show off their wonderful qualities. If you are interested in attending a pet parade, consider going to one of these upcoming events:

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As we discussed in my last post, “So You Want to be a Foster Home,” the hardest part of fostering is letting go. For every foster pet, there comes a time when she has gained all she can from foster care, and needs to find a permanent, adoptive home. It’s bittersweet, knowing that you’ve done a great thing by giving an animal a second chance, but having to allow a pet you’ve come to love to move on. It’s important to allow yourself time to grieve, and to celebrate your foster pet’s new home.

Understand the Adoption Process

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Fostering a homeless pet is one of the best things you can do for animals in need in your own home town. Watching an abused, neglected, or abandoned pet blossom and flourish in your home, then go on to become someone’s beloved family member, is among the most rewarding things I’ve ever experienced. However, letting go can be difficult. Fostering is not for everyone. To foster successfully, you need dedication, time, patience, intuition, and the ability to grieve healthily while simultaneously celebrating your former foster’s new home and family.

Getting Started

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You’ve made the decision to adopt your next pet, and you’ve located a nearby shelter. Now what?

You’ll need to choose a companion for up to the next 15 to twenty years from up to several hundred pets, all vying for the chance to come home with you. If the shelter you’ve chosen is of the busy, open admission variety, you’ll also be likely to end up making this choice while surrounded by dozens of other chattering families hoping to adopt, and in an environment where it’s difficult to evaluate an animal’s true personality due to stress and noise.

So, what’s a family to do, faced with making a lifetime committment to a new pet in this situation? One way to maximize the chance of bringing home just the right fit is to find a friendly shelter employee and ask a few questions about each pet on your “short list” of potential new family members.

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Many people seeking a new pet bypass the adoption option for one reason or another. While there are certainly some situations in which purchasing from a reputable, responsible breeder is ideal, consider this list of five myths about pet adoption before bypassing rescue to look for a breeder.

1. Shelter dogs are all mutts.

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