Story:  Traditional medicine is great, but alternative therapies have their place too, even in animal care.  I learned at the wildlife rehabilitation conference that we have had some success in treating spinal injuries by using acupuncture.  Looking over the notes that I took at the presentation, there's a vet at a local exotic animal hospital where we have taken animals with neurological trauma like spinal injury.  Apparently the acupuncture treatment that they receive really does help the animals (such as birds, foxes, and rabbits) recover from their injuries.  I'm no fan of needles, but I remember my own acupuncture treatments some 15 years ago that were very calming and energizing for me too.

Animals:  It's been a month, but Norbert is still waiting for a home.  I can't imagine what's holding back adopters from rescuing this guy.  Zhey is absolutely lovable, and I'd take zhem home myself if I had the space.  The body wounds that I mentioned last month have all healed, leaving this 3-year-old neutered male in even better condition than before.  Norbert is still quite a lover, wanting lots of holding and petting, and I've discovered zheir fascination with shoulders.  Not nearly so much a lap cat as a shoulder cat, a volunteer told me that zhey hadn't even noticed the cat had gotten free of the cage when suddenly Norbert jumped up on zheir shoulder all the way from the floor.  I hold Norbert and receive lots of head butting under my chin as zhey tries to keep the petting going indefinitely.  Why is Norbert still here after a month?  I want to take zhem home!

Also here for too many weeks are Sherlock and Watson.  They make quite an adorable duo.  They both have fur with grey/beige combination that I think is beautiful.  They're good companions to each other (and should be adopted together), and they've been friendly whenever I've come by to pet them too.  They're not quite as inquisitive as their names might suggest, but I still think they'd make a good choice for any first-time rabbit adopter.

As of this writing, Norbert, Sherlock, and Watson are all available for visitation and adoption at our Golden Valley facility.

How You Can Help:  Here in the USA, the postal service is featuring a new postage stamp campaign called Stamps To The Rescue.  Ellen DeGeneres is leading the campaign to raise funds for buying pet food that will be delivered to animal shelters across the nation.  These 44-cent stamps feature 5 dogs and 5 cats who were each adopted from animal shelters.  You can see posters about the campaign in your local post office, or go online (at the link above) to pre-order your stamps.

Meanwhile, we're just 2 weeks away from the major fundraiser for my own shelter.  If you'd like to help, you may do so here:
http://events.animalhumanesociety.org/goto/MellowTigger

Story:  Possums have 13 nipples and a prehensile tail. How weird is that? They don't break bilateral symmetry though, since their 13th nipple is found in the middle of the body rather than on the left or right.  Possums are marsupials, not mammals. A baby possum is born very undeveloped and then crawls with its barely functional front legs to the mother's pouch. When the young feed at one of those 13 nipples, it's a semi-permanent arrangement. The nipple enlarges and stays in the baby's throat for about 8 weeks until the baby weans and leaves the pouch.  If the baby is separated from the nipple beforehand, then it will be physically unable to reattach, and so it will die. If a possum has a litter larger than 13 babies, that's very bad news for some of those babies. Those details are some of the many cool things that I learned at the recent Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference out at work.

Animals:  I'm not sure why Pooh is still on the adoption floor these last few weeks.  Zhey is a 5-year-old spayed female. I think longhaired cats may wait longer to find homes, so that may be the reason for the delay.  Pooh has been very personable during our visits together.  Static is seldom a good thing, of course, but purring really makes up for it.  Pooh has lived with children before, so I think zhey would make a welcome addition to a home with people of any age.

Pepper came up to the adoption floor a few days ago.  Zhey is a neutered male, grey furred, and about 3 years old.  I figure Pepper will need a little help in finding a home because the "fear factor" is not usually an attractive quality.  Zhey is actually very friendly, but I had to put my hand in the cage to find out.  Pepper hides in the litter box while keeping zheir ears back and eyes wide, obviously disliking the predicament of being stuck with all these noisy people wandering around.  With very little in the way of coaxing, however, Pepper quickly stepped out of the litterbox and began rubbing my hand and flopping onto the cage floor for more attention.  I think zhey would do very well in a quiet home.

As of this writing, Pooh and Pepper are both available for visitation and adoption in our Golden Valley facility.

How You Can Help:  Our big fundraiser of the year is only a few weeks away.  I will be on site again this year, but I'll have the pager and will be free to roam around when the crisis of the moment doesn't require my attention.  I'm hoping to get to see a lot more of the Walk this time, my 3rd year there.

If you'd like to donate any money to the cause, just click on the image here to reach my personal fundraising webpage.

Story:  There's a trumpeter swan downstairs.  I don't have a picture of zhem, since the bird is not in a public area.  Zhey has been there for a while now (a few weeks maybe) in an isolated room.  There's a blanket hung up for privacy, but the tall swan still raises zheir long neck to look over the blanket at people passing down the hallway.  The information sheet posted on the door says that the swan is being treated for lead poisoning.  Lakes and waterways around here still have lead buckshot in the sandy bottom.  When swans go foraging in the muck, they end up swallowing the lead with everything else that they find.  This poor bird had some lead in zheir gullet, where the toxic metal was causing illness.  Zhey has survived this long under treatment, so hopefully zhey will be well enough to release eventually.

Animals:  Another animal that is not in the best of health is Hugh.  This bulldog mix (neutered male) came up to the adoption floor this week.  I noticed zhem right away because of the obvious ribcage and the sunken haunch.  Hugh is a 2-year-old neutered male.  I did not visit right away because zhey is still being treated for respiratory infection.  I assumed that Hugh would be skittish from perhaps some prior mistreatment, but yesterday Hugh was very social and loving.  I spent some time with zhem licking my hand and poking me with zheir very dry nose.  Very lovable.  I don't know if the animal's history would make zhem a candidate for a house without small children.  You should ask someone to look up details (if we have any) if you're interested in adoption.  I can vouch for Hugh's very friendly nature, though.  A very nice bulldog.

At the opposite end of the spectrum is Sadie.  Zhey is an 8-year-old spayed female.  The thing, though, is that Sadie is quite overweight.  Zheir chart lists zhem at 100 pounds.  During my visits, Sadie has had trouble just walking around on the floor of the kennel run.  Zhey is not going to win any land speed records until zhey loses some weight.  Sadie seems nice, but it's hard for me to get a good feel for temperament since zheir weight interferes so much in zheir activity and behavior.  Sadie needs a permanent home with some special attention.  Maybe some children to play with would be good therapy.  :)

Bernie Mac came to us from the streets without any documentation.  Zhey was neutered, had some bad teeth removed, then spent some time in a foster home for recovery.  While there, we gathered some temperament history so we can better place Bernie in a permanent home.  Zhey is very friendly and polite but does not like spending time around noisy children.  Bernie dislikes being picked up but very much likes laying down on your lap or chest.  I confirmed much of this history during my time with zhem.  Very friendly, with a nice purr, but dislikes being held.  Bernie is a stocky guy, and petting zhem makes it easy to feel just how much power is hidden in zheir feline frame.  Bernie is inquisitive and seeks out affection, meowing at me from across the room to catch my attention on repeat visits.

As of this writing, Hugh, Sadie, and Bernie Mac are all available for visitation and adoption in our Golden Valley facility.

How You Can Help:  To help keep animals out of shelters and other rehabilitation environments, just remind the hunters and fishers that you know that they should avoid using lead buckshot or lead weights on fishing lines.  This metal is inevitably left behind in the environment, where it poisons the ecosystem.  Help out by eliminating the cause of harm.  If they need a more personal incentive, then remind them that they probably don't want to eat lead-poisoned food themselves.  Keep the environment healthy to keep your food (and yourself) healthy.  It's just a bonus (from their point of view, perhaps) that doing so will allow animal rescuers to spend their time on domestic animal overpopulation problems rather than on detoxification of  wild trumpeter swans.

Story:  My computer screen is litter box fresh!  Is yours?

In a discussion with Facilities staff about who should be ordering some cleaning supplies, they mentioned that they have many boxes of Fresh Step litter box wipes.  The wipes are individually wrapped in small packets.  They asked if we could use them in tech support.  I looked at the ingredients and discovered that they are just isopropyl alcohol (which is appropriate for flat screen monitors) and a gentle soap.  The cloth was soft, not scratchy.

I tested it out on some old monitors, and it worked fine.  I tried it out on my own monitor... and it still worked fine.  No mess, no residue.  So now I'm recommending that people take a few of these litter box cleaner packets and keep them in their office desk.  They can rip open a package and use the soft cloth to clean their screen, and afterward it also works well at getting the grime off of keyboards and computer mice.

So there you go... an Information Technology solution from a non-profit animal shelter.  We make do with the material we have available!

Animals:  Some of the rabbits that I meet are a bit territorial.  Some, however, are very inviting.  That's Robbie.  He's a young rabbit and slightly on the inquisitive side.  When I first met him, he had his nose outside his cage, probably hoping that I brought edible treats.  His paperwork lists him as a Rex, but I think he's probably something else.  The fur on his face and neck was silky like a Rex, but his back was merely soft like some other breeds, and it wasn't dense fur like a Rex either.  Regardless, he was still very nice to pet.  He seemed to enjoy several minutes of it too.  He didn't seem concerned about a dog being walked nearby.  I think he'd be a good first rabbit companion for a person of any age.

Needing more gentle attention, however, is Lula.  I've gone visiting her several times, and she still doesn't come out of hiding at the back of her cage.  When I give her a few minutes of petting, she offers an easily heard purr.  I still can't convince her, though, to come to the front of her cage.  She's a 2-year-old female.  I think she's a little on the scrawny side, but it's hard to get a good feel for her frame when she's curled up underneath a bed perch.  She probably needs a quiet home environment in order to coax her out into the wider world.  She has a cute freckled nose, too.

In a kind of in-between temperament, there is Sasha.  She's a 9-month-old Australian Cattle Dog mix.  She's been on the adoption floor for a few days, and honestly I expected her to go home on her first day.  Every time I've visited her, she's been a very submissive dog.  Maybe that's what's keeping her from finding a home right away.  She is enormously friendly, though.  She adores lots of petting, and she's happy to lick my arm while I'm petting her.

As of this writing, Robbie, Lula, and Sasha are all available for visitation and adoption at our Golden Valley facility.

How You Can Help:  If you're not local to Minnesota, then you probably have not had an opportunity to hear the programming available at Minnesota Public Radio.  It's the station that I usually listen to (other than a local country music station) when I drive in my vehicle.  I'm told that February 23rd will be a special "Pay It Forward" day at MPR.  During their membership drive, if you contribute $10/month or more, then "instead of a bag or mug as a thank-you gift, you can pay your gift forward to Animal Humane Society".  I'm not sure how this program operates, and I don't find information on it at their website today.  Check it out on the 23rd if you've already been considering a public radio donation, and help two organizations at once!

Story:  It's been a while since my last Furry Friday post.  Last weekend, I spent most of my time at the local Give Camp adventure.  Unfortunately, I can't link you to the website they created for us because it becomes available only after you have paid the signup fee for becoming a volunteer.  After payment, however, the site will let you choose the city and introductory class that you want to attend.  The site will also be used for the very busy Walk For Animals event in May, and that big fundraiser involves half a thousand volunteers with a hundred different kinds of job shifts.  This site will be a huge help in funneling volunteers into relevant activities.  :)

We took only 2 photos at the event, but they've posted them for everyone to access.  So you can see programmers at work, and almost everyone lined up after the handoff event.  That's me on the far right, and my boss is standing next to me.  It was a fun event, and it'll be a huge timesaver for our volunteer department to finally have a good "funnel" for applicants into our organization.  My thanks to the people who donated their whole weekend to working on this project.

Animals:  Our main website is back up, so I've corrected the photos and links.

In Golden Valley, there are two small birds that make an interesting couple.  One of them is called Ice Cream, and the other is Smoothie.  They are both 6-year-old female parakeets.  I've seen them flirting together in their cage previously, but one particular day I found both of them taking turns at what I think was mock feeding.  One would spend a few minutes opening its mouth while the other reached her beak inside like she was taking regurgitated food as a baby bird would.  Then a few minutes later, they'd swap roles and the other would arch upward, open her beak, and juggle her neck as if regurgitating.  I never saw any food actually pass between them, but they were obviously a cozy little couple.

I occasionally see rare breeds come through the shelther.  Today, there is a new cat on the adoption floor.  Her name is "B.B.".  She is young, only 1 year old.  She's a mix, but she is part Bengal.  Her cage remains locked, and her card info mentioned that she is a bit rambunctious.  Bengals have blood heritage that is closer to wild cats than the common domestic cat.  I think she was new to her cage today, because she was still very wide-eyed and cautious, hiding under her bed perch rather than coming to the front of the cage to be pet.  I'm sure she'll find a home quickly, but I mention her today in case someone is looking specifically for uncommon critters.

As of this writing, Ice Cream, Smoothie, and B.B. are available for visitation and adoption at our Golden Valley facility.

How You Can Help:   Natural disasters affect not only humans but also the animals that we steward.  While the human suffering in Haiti is enormous (and I still intend to post about that separately), you may also elect to offer financial assistance to groups that focus on the domesticated creatures whose food, water, shelter, and medicine (all provided by humans) has also been interrupted.  I am not aware that my organization has made a statement about suggested ways to help the international effort, but I feel comfortable linking readers to the ASPCA webpage devoted to this recent disaster.
http://www.aspca.org/news/help-the-animals-of-haiti.html

Story: There are several non-Furry-Friday topics I want to discuss today, but it's time to get back on track with this weekly piece. So today the story is a crossover piece with the topic of the economy. In November, we shed a position where I work. To my knowledge, it's the first position that we've lost all year. Even more telling, though, is the nature of the position. It was the job where we worked to partnership with other businesses. Apparently that money has dried up entirely. Corporations aren't giving donations to non-profits right now. They're too busy trying to keep up on their own mortgages. (Supposedly the corporate mortgage crisis in the USA is looming, ready to burst any week now.) We don't get paid by the government to keep our daily business operating; we rely mostly on donations. The fees that we charge are nowhere near enough to cover our costs. The sour economy is finally reaching us. We lost a job position. I suppose we'll learn after the December holiday charity season if we'll soon have to make any more cutbacks.

Animals: I first met Kitten many weeks ago. She is a 6-year-old female, and her picture here really does not do her justice. She looks to me like some sort of Siamese x alleycat mix. Her fur is mostly white with hints of grey stripes peeking through. I think she's very pretty. Her demeanor, however, is probably keeping her from being noticed. It took several visits before I could coax her out of her litterbox hideaway. Once she decides you're trustworthy, though, then she's aggressively petable. I can relate to that disposition; and I'd take her home today if I had my own place.

She's reached the point where she'll chitter at me as I open her cage door, then she dashes for my hand as I hold it out to her. She's still quite nervous and fearful, though. Her tail is always curled under, and she runs back to her litterbox if strangers come near or she hears loud noises elsewhere in the room. I think she'd do great in a quiet home. She has a nice purr, and she desires lots of attention (in the right environment). Only once did I try to take her to a visitation room, but that was still a bit too traumatic for her. I sat on the floor while she hid on my shoulders behind my long hair or down on the floor behind my back. With time, I'm sure she'll acclimate to a new home.

I didn't travel to most of the other sites in November, so I haven't met Elmo myself. He's a 1-year-old hamster in Saint Paul. I had to mention him today, though, because of this year's Zhu Zhu toy craze and because of his photo. He was featured in our Facebook feed, and it's obvious why. What's not to like about this face? *laugh*

As of this writing, both animals are available for visitation and adoption. Kitten is at Golden Valley, and Elmo is at Saint Paul.

How You Can Help: Two words: Martha Stewart.

Purina ONE is sponsoring another contest. In this one, you can submit your pet adoption story and photo to the Martha Stewart website and choose the animal shelter that wins $10,000 if you win their contest. (As a reminder, we are the "Animal Humane Society", based in Minnesota.) In addition, you'll get a trip to New York City to attend the Martha Stewart Show. The contest deadline is December 31st.

This post will be different from the usual format, inspired by recent posts on other blogs about dogs on Veterans' Day here in the USA. (Oh, and Mufasa, Lucy, and Lil Dude are still waiting for homes!)

In case you're expecting a Feel Good Moment here on Furry Friday, I should start with these two videos to make you smile.



For more of the story, though, I offer some details from a few webpages (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8) that I encountered during my search.

( See the many images... )

These animals are also finding jobs as therapy dogs. Now, I voted for somebody other than Minnesota's US Senator, Al Franken, but I admit to being pleased with his performance so far. He has co-sponsored a "Service Dogs for Veterans" Act that would help place trained service animals with veterans with either psychological or physical problems as a way to "reduce the alarming suicide rate among veterans, decrease the number of hospitalizations, and lower the cost of medications and human care" according to this local news story.

Story: In my department, we have 2.5 FTEs (full-time employees). I'm the half person. :) Last week, two of those other people were gone for most of the week, so I was holding down the fort on my own. Not too bad. I worked some extra hours, earned some extra pay, and made some progress installing hardware and doing some minor programming. It didn't get too crazy, even though were still experiencing some pains from migrating to a whole new animal management system.

Animals: I went yesterday into one of the cat hotel rooms, intending to visit one-eyed Lucy. (I was thoroughly distracted by Mauer instead. He's a ginger kitty who was very friendly and a potential lap cat. I see this morning, though, that he's already been adopted.) I don't know why Lucy lost her eye, but I wonder if it was a result of a cat fight. She does not tolerate other cats near her, preemptively batting them to drive them away if they approach within a meter. Aside from needing a home as the only animal, though, she's actually a pretty fun cat. She actively seeks petting, she's inquisitive, and she amused herself by playing with my shoelaces while I was busy attending to Mauer. She would be a fun cat with adults of any age, provided that she's the only feline around.

If you're looking for an affectionate lap dog, Lil Dude is definitely that. He's a 2-year-old male chihauhua. I don't know what his voice is like, because he didn't speak while I was around. He's a friendly, tail-wagging sort of guy. He likes being pet, nearly falling asleep while I rubbed his back. He didn't seem stressed out by the other barking dogs nearby, so I think he'd make a good companion for either adults or children.

"Oh, you're beautiful," exclaimed the woman early this week who walked up to Mufasa's cage. And yet, after all these weeks, he's still waiting for an adopter. I discovered yesterday that he's even been featured on our website and in video footage with the local Fox news channel. I hope he finally finds a home.

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

How You Can Help:  This is just a local thing, specific to the Minneapolis area.  I don't know what it is about the cold and dark climate here, but the natives do like their bowling and their beer.  As it turns out, the beer also inspires people to do charitable things.  There is an organization called The 12 Bars Of Christmas that does a pub crawl to raise money for a charity.  They open up public voting to determine which charity they help.  There are many good ones in this year's lineup, but AHS is listed among them.  You may vote here, or consider coming out to join them as they raise money on their bar tour.

Story:  Work is still hectic, but there are still moments of entertainment.   This week, I was hauling an armload of printer toner cartridges downstairs to our storage cabinet.  I walked past a volunteer who was working with a very skittish dog.  I tried to walk slowly and quietly past them.  I made a small amount of noise while I opened the cabinets and put the toner boxes on the shelves.  I locked up the shelves again and started walking back upstairs.  The dog was even more frightened of me by now.  This time I didn't walk past.

Animals have the right of way at AHS.  I stopped and waited.  The volunteer led the dog into a nearby closet to let me pass.  She explained, "Thanks, she's just really frightened of men."  I walked past them and continued on with my day.  AHS has an "Ad Prep" (adoption preparation) program for dogs that are fearful, trying to get them more comfortable around people.  These dogs have their cage card labeled with this information, along with advice that they not enter homes with small children (who scream and lurch about suddenly, stressing the dog).  It's good to know that people work with the animals on their problem areas, but it does leave one wondering about the life story that created such a fearful stereotype of men.

Animals:  Speaking of fearful, Mufasa spent his first few days hiding inside a paper bag in his cage.  He has since started spending time at the front, looking around (with wide eyes) at all the activity around him.  He's actually pretty friendly once he calms down a bit.  He'll purr lightly and rub up against my hand.

The photo doesn't really capture his physical presence.  In person, he looks almost like a solid black cat, but then his face and lower (belly) half of his body shows some traditional grey striping.  He's an older male with longish hair, so he's spending more time than many other cats (and large number of kittens) on the adoption floor waiting for a new owner.  He's definitely worth a look.  AHS has extended their "Double The Love" program to the end of October that allows you to get an older cat free if you adopt a kitten the same day.  If you find a calm kitten, they might make a good pair for a new home.

I don't usually spend time with the birds, but we have a lot of them this week and so I visited yesterday to introduce myself to them.  There are lots of paired parakeets, but Vanilla is the one who made an impression on me.

She (?) kept an eye on me the whole time I was in the room.  We cooed at each other for a few minutes before I wandered to other cages.  She kept walking along her wooden bar to get closer to me, whichever side of the room I was at.  She's one of the few birds alone in her cage, so I think she really wants some company.  If you enjoy the sounds of dove cooing, come visit her and chat for a while.  She might convince you to give her a new home.

As of this writing, both Mufasa and Vanilla are available for visitation and adoption at our Golden Valley facility.

How you can help:  Looking to recycle your plastic bags from the grocery store?  Consider saving them and donating them to your local animal shelter instead.  Anyone who has the duty of walking dogs will know just how helpful it is to have these plastic bags around for cleaning up doggy doo from the grassy lawn.  Ask if your shelter collects them.  If they do, then give the bags an opportunity for reuse.

I don't go in to work today. I'm almost ready to drive off for a camping weekend, actually, but I wanted to make sure that I got a Furry Friday post in August before the month was gone.

Story: I went into the vets' office last week to look into problems with a computer mouse and printer. While there, I spent many minutes visiting an ill cat in recovery. The vets frequently use their office as a temp space to hold a single animal that needs a less stressful daytime environment in which to recuperate. This animal had a respiratory infection and was under treatment for that ailment. She was a 7-year-old Siamese longhair. She was tremendously friendly, even as she sneezed all over me. (Yes, I washed thoroughly after visiting with her, so's not to bring anything home to my own T'Reese or to the other animals in the shelter.)

Animals: Well, Squeakers has now finished her treatment regimen and is waiting on our adoption floor for a new home. She is still very underweight by my standards, and you will feel her bony hips and back when you pet her, but she's also still extremely friendly. Squeakers is a soft furball who will surely enchant you with her big round eyes. As an older lady with long hair, she may have a hard time finding an adoptive human. If you're local, do consider visiting with her to see if you would enjoy each other's company.

Behind the adoption desk (not in the main critter areas) are two ferrets and one chinchilla. I spent a bit of time with the white ferret named Jester. His visual appearance reminds me of my own Crack Weasel from several years ago, but Jester is noticeably more calm. Most ferrets I meet have only two settings: off (asleep) and on (bouncy). Jester may actually have a middle setting. Wouldn't that be a discovery! Just talk to the adoption staff for your chance to meet with him too.

Wilma is sharing her space with two siblings, Wilbur and Harry. Of the three, she is definitely the least skittish. I've spent a good 20 minutes (before or after work hours) over the last week just standing at their pen and petting her. (Wilbur was inquisitive but scared, and Harry would have none of that human handholding stuff.) She's very tolerant of petting, and I think she would make a good first rabbit companion for a person of any age.

As of this writing, Squeakers, Jester, and Wilma are available for visitation and adoption at our Golden Valley facility.

How you can help: Please check with your local animal shelter about becoming a foster home volunteer.  In recent weeks, I have seen several announcements go out locally because we are having trouble placing animals in foster home who need many weeks of medical recovery or weeks of placement for newborn litters to gain weight before being placed for adoption.  It's not something that you can do just by showing up at the front desk one day.  You need to attend training classes and participate in staff interviews to make sure that you and your home are suitable for foster placements.  Make the effort to get "certified" with your local shelter now, and then later you can help out by fostering a needy animal as the opportunity presents itself.