Kali's Second Chance

Second chances…..some of us have been lucky enough to have them.  Others have not been so fortunate.  But whether or not the stars were aligned for us personally, I think (or hope) we can all agree that everyone deserves that second chance.  And so Kali’s story begins with the hope of that second chance, and unlike most of fate’s fast curve balls that come out of nowhere, you actually have it within your  power to give Kali another shot at this life that is filled with some mad, mad harmony (Clarice Lispector).

It was a Saturday afternoon.  Blazing hot.  Most of the STHS staff was in the vacillating throes of suffocating heat and torrential downpours at the rabies drive in Pearl River.  Near the end of the afternoon, Kali is carried into the Humane Society.  She’d been hit by a car.  But what to do?  There would be no vet at the shelter until Monday morning.  Kali had seen better Saturday afternoons, but did not seem to be in a life threatening condition after the accident.  This is a typical snapshot moment of when animal loving staff look at each other in question, and think the following:

1.       Yes, there are rules in place for intakes.  Technically Kali is not scheduled to come into our adoption program.

      2.      We cannot heartworm test her, and are not able to take in heartworm positive dogs…..even if we can take her in.
      3.      She is hurt, and we do not have a vet.  But these folks have nowhere to turn and are not able to bring a dog home.

A few of Kali's visible injuries:

  

 But alas, these are logical thoughts, and those with higher sentiments than mere logic know that any life worth living is one peppered with many moments of irrational decisions based on the spirit and well-being of our fellow travelers.  Our fellow traveler Kali needed our help.  And Katie came to her rescue.  Enter Katie. 

Katie (17) and her mom Cynthia are truly the unsung heroes of the St. Tammany Humane Society.  Unflagging fosters and volunteers (and now Katie made official as part of the STHS kennel staff), their efforts and enthusiasm are unsurpassed and I wish were more contagious!  Cynthia and Katie (true to form) were volunteering at the rabies drive that fateful Saturday and returned to the shelter just in time to witness Kali’s dire circumstances.

 

For Katie, there was no real decision to be made.  She took Kali home with her and nursed her through what remained of her weekend.  Kali was examined by the vet on Monday.  Many of her wounds, though painful and slow to heal, are superficial.  The worst of the news:  Kali is heartworm positive.  We cannot intake Kali. 

 Now if any of you would find it easy to look Katie in the eye and tell her that her little Kali has to go to Animal Services because she is heartworm positive, you are a stronger person than I.  The cost of Kali’s heartworm treatment and 2 – 4 weeks of wound therapy is $600.  If we can raise this money through our Second Chance Fund…..yep you got….Kali gets a Second Chance.  Please help us to renew both Kali and Katie’s faith in humanity by donating to help cover the cost of Kali’s treatment so that we can all revel in illogical triumphs and second chances.

To donate to Kali's Second Chance Fund...

Mail donation to:
St. Tammany Humane Society
Second Chance Fund
20384 Harrison Ave
Covington, LA   70433

Or click here and donate via our website:  Kali's Second Chance Fund

Our Noble Girl

Three weeks ago, as I drive up to work I see someone unloading a very large dog kennel in front of our gate and drive off.  “Gosh darn (censored),” I thought, “what are we going to do with this guy?” (To explain my seeming insensitivity:  because we are a no-kill shelter, we are ALWAYS full and did not have an available kennel for a stray dog.) Upon arriving inside, I discover that someone had talked to the gentlemen and he’d picked up a German Shepherd who’d been hit by a car just minutes before. 

The poor girl was stunned and bleeding profusely.  Her leg was badly mangled and hung limply in a very unnatural position.  We posted her unfortunate circumstances and her whereabouts in as many facets as we could and waited anxiously for her owner to appear.  We waited.  And waited.  No one came.

Our surgery tech Ginger named her Noble Etta Blithe.  Why she named her this I cannot say.  It sounds like a celebrity name to me, and may very well be one…..you may be laughing now b/c I don’t know who Noble Etta Blithe is.  But I digress…..

Noble, as you’ve probably guessed, had to have that maimed leg amputated.  She struggled with this loss at first, and I would look out of my office window in the afternoon and see the surgery techs (she was kept in a kennel in our surgery area) walking her slowly in the yard while Noble limped slowly alongside them.  She made slow progress, but for the first 2 weeks kept her head low and seemed to curse her fate as she stumbled awkwardly in her melancholic stupor. 

And then about a week ago, I again looked out of my office window and was inspired to see that Noble was indeed living up to her new name.  Her gait was swift and sure, her head held high, and the only thing she was struggling with on that particular day was getting off of that hindering leash.

She’s doing great and is actually up for adoption now.  Noble Etta Blithe.  Yeah, that’s a great name.  For a great dog.  A noble dog.

Keeper's Keepin' It Real: Through a dog's lens

Keeper was adopted from the Humane Society a few years ago. Every now and then I'll get a few entries from Keeper's own blog, and it always cracks me up. Thought I'd share one with you all:

Today The Old Woman cooked on the circle of fire outside.   I like it when she does that!!!!!   I encouraged her by barking.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   I started my encouragement as soon as I heard her rattle the lid off the circle of fire.  Bark.   Bark.   I know that sound!!!!!   I kept on encouraging The Old Woman when she made the fire start.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   I encouraged her when The Old Woman put the meat on.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.  I encouraged her when the smell of - PORK!!!  and BARBEQUE SAUCE came in the house.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.  Bark.   I chased skwirles away so they wouldn't get the meat.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   All that encouraging and protecting was hard work.   I need some PORK!!!! to renew my strength.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   PORK!!!!!    Fire burnt pig!!!!!!   I LIKE IT!!!!!   Do skwirls eat PORK!!!!?   Can't take the chance!!!!!   Bark.  Bark.

The Old Woman put some leaves and cheese in my bowl.   What?!?!???   After all that encouraging and protecting?!?!!?!   Bark.  Bark.   Hey, Old Woman, bark, I want PORK!!!!   The Old Woman put blackberries in my bowl.   I like blackberries but there's PORK!!! on the wind!   I get leaves and berries for my loyalty?    Bark.   I protest!   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   Hey, Old Woman, don't forget who chased off the skwirl!!!!!  Bark.

Oooooo!    Ooooo!   The Old Woman gave me PORK!!!!  I love The Old Woman.   I told The Old Woman I LOVE YOU!!!   Bark.   Bark.  Bark.    I WANT MORE!!!!   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   I WANT MORE!!!!!   Bark.   Bark.

Later - nap time.   Finished off some PORK!!! and some leaves called "cole slaw" (phoooey) and some yummy berries and some garlic bread.   Nap time.  First I have to thank The Old Woman before I curl up.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.   Bark.

Why am I shut in the bathroom? 

Keeper

Rescue Road Trip Melodies

It has been 3 months since Betty and Rosie, two 8 yr old lab sisters, came through the Humane Society doors (very familiar doors to them) to stay.  Betty and Rosie had been patients at the Humane Society vet clinic for many years.  The two girls were always one step behind dad, tails and tongues wagging happily. 

We all have experienced that moment when things in life go from ‘tail waggingly happy’ to ‘tail tuckingly crappy’ in a matter of seconds.  This is what happened to Betty and Rosie, due to unavoidable and regrettable circumstances.  It was a very poignant scene when dad said goodbye to his girls, and I think all of us who love our dogs and think of them as members of the family can imagine the heartbreak he felt at having come to this inevitable parting. 

It is not easy to adopt out an adult black lab (a surprising fact for those who own and love the breed).  It is downright difficult to adopt out an 8 year old black lab.  It is extremely difficult to adopt out two 8 yr old black labs together (separating them was never a thought).  And so though we at the Humane Society knew these to be two awesome and lovable girls, we also realized the probability of a long stay here for Betty and Rosie.  And those two girls were real troopers.  Imagine for a moment that you go from stretching out on the couch during the day and sleeping in a nice, comfy bed each night in the only home you’ve ever known…….to the new world of a shelter kennel: without ‘your’ people, a small and lonely abode, the sound of strange dogs barking incessantly, and no home base to run for safety.  But Betty and Rosie, as disoriented and confused as they must have felt, braved that storm of uncertainty with (reluctantly at first) tails still a waggin’. 

I am firmly convinced that our thoughts and energy variants travel through the ether, affecting us in ways unimagined.  For one day as I walked in to work and noticed Betty and Rosie nosing the kennel for attention, I thought of just those things which I mentioned earlier.  And lo and behold, I receive an email from Linda.  Linda is a friend of a friend of Betty and Rosie’s previous owners.  She heard their story, and immediately felt drawn to them.  She wanted to adopt them both!  The only problem?  Linda lives in Sarasota, FL and even if we were to get them to her, couldn’t take them for another month or so. 

Usually I shy away from in-the-future adopters, as I call them.  More often than not, the adoption falls through for any number of reasons.  But the more I communicated with Linda, the more I began to realize that the match may be kismet, after all.  She stayed in touch, emailing for updates on ‘the girls’ and asking for help to get them to her in a few weeks. 

So I send out a plea for help from my trusty STHS volunteers.  Can someone drive these girls to meet Linda halfway?  I got a few responses, but always some little detail prevented the plan from going forward.  And then…….Melody stepped forward to save the day.  She and her friend Lisa drove Betty and Rosie to Tallahassee, FL to meet their new mom on Saturday!!!  It was a great day for all……especially for our 2 girls.  And I hope Melody will forgive me for quoting her, but it’s good stuff.  When I thanked her profusely for donating her time, money, and energy in such a selfless manner, she replied: 

“The trip was great--375 miles one way.  It was a great adventure. I got to spend the day with my best friend, Lisa catching up on things, Betty and Rosie, 2 great dogs, meeting Linda, a nice lady and got to go to the Gulf of Mexico and put my toes in the water!
This trip was possible thanks to my boyfriend, Joel, for the use of his van and a tank of gas, to Lisa for riding shotgun and helping to walk the dogs, and to Linda for opening her heart to adopting such fine animals.”

And in my opinion, that’s just what it’s all about, folks! 

STHS Minion

Two Brothers......and Anna

Anna Fernandez walked through our shelter doors about a month ago and introduced herself. She has a dog walking/sitting service and is also working on her certification for dog behaviorist. She asked if we had any dogs that could use some…..uhhh….fine tuning. Of course most of our dogs could use that….heck, I could use some fine tuning myself. She showed no interest in teaching me how to become more social or like-able, but did seem interested in helping our long term resident, Mennen, with this problem. Mennen is close to a year now. He is Boxer/mystery mix and has been at the shelter since he was a mere 3 months old. He knows no home other than a kennel, and no family other than his kennel mate Chadwick and the shelter staff, who know the dog he is, and not the one he appears to be. Mennen is cage aggressive, a nasty way of saying merely that he is territorial of his space and frightened of strange people who come too close and cause him to feel threatened. When Mennen comes out of the kennel, he shakes uncontrollably, tail tucked securely between his legs, and looks at the world through wide, terrified eyes. Anna’s dog that needed fine tuning: Mennen.

One afternoon a few days later, I walk outside and see someone in Mennen’s kennel. It is Anna. She sat quietly in the corner of Mennen’s kennel, letting him come to her, allowing Mennen to call the shots and decide for himself whether this was a good guy or bad guy (and good guys ALWAYS have treats in their pockets….just FYI). Anna came every few days to spend time with Mennen, and with each subsequent visit we began to notice small changes in Mennen. He was calmer when potential adopters walked down adoption row, he barked less, he smiled more (yes, Mennen smiles). One day Anna felt she had gotten to a point at which she should raise Mennen’s exposure level a notch, and sat with him in the lobby as people and dogs came and went. Clients and staff alike talked to Mennen and reached to pet him as they passed by. What did Mennen do? He sat smugly and quietly, tail and tongue wagging wildly. He devoured the positive attention. He was positively a different dog, one comfortable in his own skin…and that transformation was a beautiful thing to witness. I am happy to report that Mennen was chosen by a couple up North for adoption, and will be headed to Tenafly, New Jersey next weekend!

And so it is a happy ending for our Mennen, but there are still so many dogs with the very same issues and psychoses. For it is easy for a dog’s spirit to devolve into a fearful and frustrated one when they have been in the confines of a kennel (no matter how humane the conditions) for a lengthy period of time. Do we have another dog like Mennen? Yes, his name is Mitchum…….Mennen’s brother. But Mitchum has a new friend in his corner these days. Her name is Anna, and the two of them can be seen palling around together in the exercise yards whenever Anna can break away to offer her time and guidance to the dogs here who need it. I could go on and on about what Anna does for our Mitchum, but why don’t you see for yourselves:

Second Chance

Typically STHS’s Second Chance Fund is reserved for one unfortunate dog or cat in dire straits. But our heartstrings were tugged beyond their capacity this time around, and we are hoping that yours are stretched to the point of making a generous donation to help out not one, but two needy boys.


Eastwood was found wandering aimlessly near the Humane Society. He appeared to be lost, hungry, scared, and most of all…..very friendly. Eastwood is guilty of the highest degree of affection mongering and his entire body wags when he spots a potential victim. Being a 2 yr old Pitt Bull, he certainly dispels any myths that this is a vicious or aggressive breed by nature. The only thing that plagues this guy’s big heart is the biggest killer of dogs in the South: heartworms. As all we dog owners know, heartworms, if not treated, are fatal. And the medication needed to treat this disease is frighteningly scarce these days, so we are limited on the number of dogs that we are able to treat.

Eastwood is not the only victim of heartworms that has won our hearts and spurred us to action in pleading for help on their behalf. Ferdinand, a beautiful Boxer/Lab mix, was found by one of our previous adopters near her home. He had on a ragged hunting collar and was extremely emaciated. She took him into her home and, to her surprise, found that Ferdinand was indeed a gentle giant. He stood patiently as her other dogs tried to assert their dominance with this intruder and was happy to have the kiddos pounce on him at playtime and snuggle up beside him at night. She took Ferdinand to STHS for vaccinations and to schedule a neuter, hoping to get him into the adoption program and donating as much of her own money to secure his safety as she possibly could. And then came the awful news that Ferdinand has heartworms, a medical condition that she just cannot afford to treat. We desperately want Ferdinand in our adoption program, but need the money to pay for heartworm treatment.

The cost for heartworm treatment to save both of these boys is $1000. We ask that you donate anything that you are able at this time, and thank you profusely in advance!!! Please give Eastwood and Ferdinand what we all need and deserve: A Second Chance.



To donate:

1) Go to www.sthumane.org
    Click the green Donate tab
    Enter donation amount
    Donation Designation: Second Chance Fund

2) Mail payment to:
    St. Tammany Humane Society
    Second Chance Fund
    20384 Harrison Ave
    Covington, LA 70433

Tara Too Tough

My name is Tara Too Tough
I’ve landed back at STHS
Was livin’ a life that was too rough
Man, it was simply a mess

Let us start from the beginning
When I thought I’d found a great home
Just when it seemed I was winning
Back to the streets I did roam…..

I felt lost and confused
Pained and abused
Abandoned and lonely
Oh God…. If only…..

I could get something to eat
A warm place to sleep
A kid to take me for walks
A sneaky cat I could stalk

My nose was my guide
To my next meager meal
Tried my best to hide
And thought I was concealed

But my cover was blown
I heard a great crack
To the ground I was thrown
My world fading to black……

But I did not die
Or I could not rhyme
I was not called on high…
It was not my time

But my front leg was shattered
All bent and bloody
My body so tattered
Haggard and muddy

My leg finally healed
As I slowly regained health
And what was revealed
Well see for yourself:

A battle wound
A permanent limp
A homeless hound
A shelter dog gimp

My name is Tara
And I am Too Tough
Living out samsara
With the Billy Goat Gruff (desperate for a rhyming word)

Please come and visit our girl Tara, who was brought back to us with heartworms and a shattered leg. She has now successfully undergone heartworm treatment, and is searching for the wonderful and stable home that she so deserves!!