Furry Friday

[mellowtigger]

Story: Sometimes animals remain on our adoption floor for months. Jackson was like that. He was a bit overweight, he had black fur, his coat was dull, and he had skin/allergy problems. He was eventually adopted by two women. Enjoying the stability of his new home, he lost weight, his coat improved, and his skin problems disappeared. He and his owner came back to visit at AHS. I was walking through the hallway on one of those days when I was the only tech support person.  I was on my way to put a label on a new fax machine that I had just installed in our Boarding facility when I got sidetracked by Jackson. I spent a minute with everyone else visiting the happy, healthy dog. This photo (see the label maker in my hands) ended up in our employee newsletter that week.

Animals: I highlight in this column the animals that I think have some quality that makes them especially nice for a potential adopter, even if they have qualities that limit their audience to a narrow niche of the public. Apparently my opinion of adorable differs from other people's opinions. Mufasa, Lucy, and Lil Dude are still waiting for homes.  I heard Lil Dude bark yesterday. It's not the grating, high-pitched yap of most small dogs. He sounds like he's a smoker. *laugh* He still tries to get in my lap, even through the kennel cage door. I noticed some kind of mark on his lower back, but I don't know the story behind it.

Albert is a new arrival this week. He is not just a lap cat, but he was also eager to make himself at home in my arms, on my shoulder, and even on my head. When I held him in my arms, he threw himself backwards so he could roll his back and head against my arms and hand. He didn't even mind when I scratched his belly. He's quite the lovable guy! He's a 3-year-old male, and I think he'd be good in a home with people of any age or number.

Quite the curiosity, though, he has a fur coat with qualities that I haven't encountered before. His coat looks nice but it feels very dull, almost waxy. That's the first thing I noticed while petting him. As the minutes dragged on, though, I noticed that nothing generated any static electricity. He's a medium hair cat, so it should have been very obvious. I felt no charge in my hands, and I saw no charge make his hair stand up. Not my petting, not his rubbing against my jacket, nothing. Static-free cat!

Bourbon, however, has the opposite temperament. He's a 10-month old young guy, and he's very scared. The first time that I visited, he wouldn't budge inside his run. He laid against the wall while his whole body shivered in fright at the noise and commotion throughout the dog building. I went again at the end of the day, and he was still shivering but at least this time he dared stand up and reach out very far to briefly touch my hand with his nose before retreating quickly. He needs a home without small children that could startle and intimidate him. I hope he quickly finds the safe space he needs to open up and explore the world more freely.

As of this writing, Mufasa, Lucy, Lil Dude, Albert, and Bourbon are all available for visitation and adoption at our Golden Valley facility.

How You Can Help: When you visit a shelter, please wash your hands both BEFORE and AFTER visiting any animal. As H1N1 makes its rounds through the human population, animals are also being affected. Ferrets share flu viruses with humans anyway, but there are also reports (confirmed by University testing) that some family pet ferrets are dieing from H1N1. Even cat infections are being confirmed.

Comments

[bearbarry.livejournal.com]

Albert looks a lot like our kitty and has many of the same personality traits.