Furry Friday
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.
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.