Going Home: Mallory

Happy Woof Wednesday, everyone!

Finding the right companion for yourself can be a real search. Finding the right companion for you AND your existing pet? Now, that can be tough. Adopter Eve was able to do just that, though, when she came to meet lovely Mallory at Berkeley Humane last year. She sent us her story of introducing Mallory into her home, and we’d like to share with you.

"Several months ago, we went to the Berkeley Humane Society to get a dog as a companion to the dog I already had, named Leo, since I travel a lot and the other (human) members of the household work long hours, meaning that when I'm out of town, there is no person here for much of each day. I first looked online, and liked the looks and the description of Mallory, a mix of pit bull and something else. She looked like she had a good character, and she was young (as was Leo.) 

A few days later we (one of my housemates and I) went to check her out. Leo loves all other dogs, so I didn't expect any problems there. Mallory seemed to be fine with Leo, so we brought her home.

The first few days, there were a couple of accidents (not surprising for a dog that has spent lots of time in shelters and didn't understand about doing her business outside), but we got over that pretty soon.

There was also a bit of testing, while Mallory checked to be sure that she was really going to live with us. There was never any problem between the dogs other than some debate as to which one should go through a door first, and which one would snuggle up closest to me. Since I have two hands, I pet them both at the same time. Since I have more than one side, each can snuggle equally.

I don't let them sleep with me, but I do let them lie on the bed next to me when I take a nap. I take them for two walks a day (Leo weighs 70 pounds and Mallory, who started out at 35, is now near 55... two young, healthy, vigorous dogs.) The walks give me plenty of time to think, which is something you actually need to do quite a bit of in my line of work (filmmaking.)

The two dogs love each other very much and are very companionable. Mallory, now a little over a year old, seems to be a perpetual puppy and does have to be reminded not to jump, but she doesn't have a mean bone in her body. She plays very nicely with much smaller dogs when she's off leash in a place like Point Isabel, she loves to run, she keeps Leo company, and is a pleasure.

Two dogs do have a tendency to egg each other on when it comes to mischief, but, well, they're young and they are not only very loving, but very funny a lot of the time. I’m glad we got Mallory, and everyone else in the family also loves her."

Mallory and Leo make a great-looking pair: we’re so glad they have become good pals, and that Mallory has blended into your family so beautifully. Congratulations to Mallory, Leo, and Eve on making such a great trio!

After this wonderful tale of almost seamlessly integrating a new dog into an existing family, it's maybe easy to forget that the first time after a new animal comes home, can sometimes be challenging. If you;re experiencing adjustment problems, or want to know how to help an animal overcome a bad habit, we've got just the thing for you: get in touch with our Behavior Advice Line. Let us help you help your pet!

Going Home: Cali

Happy Woof Wednesday, everyone! Are you all ready for Thanksgiving? We sure are. 

We're always very grateful when one of our animals find a new home and we firmly believe that the dogs are grateful too!

Today we share the story of Cali, formerly Conchita. She is doing well in her new home and we thought we’d share her family’s update with you:

"Oh my goodness she is so amazing. We LOVE her. We named her CALI. Like California puppy. She knows a few commands already and she is 99.9% potty trained. We went for a walk this morning which she loves. Thank you again for your help."

It’s always our pleasure to assist humans and pets in meeting! Do you want to participate in this too? And get to meet sweet, snuggly puppies like Cali as a bonus? Become a canine friend at Berkeley Humane—email our volunteer manager Dana Bushouse to get involved at dbushouse@berkeleyhumane.org!

Going Home: Judy

It's Woof Wednesday again! For today's edition we share a little about how animals sometimes need a bit of extra work done for them to find their new homes. When a visitor comes into the Berkeley Humane shelter, they’re often greeted by our fabulous adoptions associate Carly. Carly came to us last year, and in the time she’s been here she’s managed to wow us all with her talent for pairing would-be adopters with their perfect animal.

One of our longer-term dog residents, Judy, was adopted entirely thanks to Carly’s dedication and determination. Judy is a sleek, athletic dog who first arrived in our shelter in July 2013. Judy sadly didn’t find love for a long time until Carly took it upon herself to go bold and find Judy her perfect person.

From Carly: "Judy was a particularly special dog. From the time I met her she was always a favorite for me to walk or hang out with; her energy would always rub off and leave me in a better mood than when I began.

Not long after I began working at Berkeley Humane, I went to look at a nearby room for rent.  The house wasn’t a good fit for me and my cat, so I moved on. But this Halloween, while in full wig and makeup, a man who I recognized to be the owner of the home approached me to compliment my costume. He understandably didn’t recognize me until I reminded him of my job. This sparked a conversation about pets, and he expressed that he had been considering getting a dog. He told me that he loves dogs and has the time and space to have one in his life, but has been hesitant because the loss of his past dog was so devastating. When he described to me what he was looking for in a companion, Judy came right to mind. We talked about her for a long time, looked at pictures, and speculated if they would be a good fit. Of course, it was to remain strictly speculative until they actually met in person. The next day he came down to our shelter, and it was love at first sight. Sometimes, when a dog meets their new family, it shows in their eyes that they just know this is who they’re going home with.  I always say that these are the moments when the animal adopts the human. This was the case with Judy. After spending some time getting to know each other, he decided that this was indeed the dog for him.

Since Judy has gone home, she has been doing wonderfully. She feels comfortable in her new home and has become a happy, relaxed dog. Her adopter, a disabled veteran, says that she is the perfect companion. She has fit right in to the household and happily gets along with her new friends, human and animal alike.  I’m certain that Judy will live out her years loved, tail wagging, alongside her new friend. She truly deserves every happy moment."

Carly went above and beyond for Judy, as she does for so many of the animals at Berkeley Humane, and it’s an honor for us to call her one of our own. Staffers like Carly are the reason this organization can do so much for animals. Their capacity for compassion is boundless, and their love for the animals truly buoying.

Working in a shelter environment is tough but rewarding. We always hear that the looks on adopters’ faces when they meet their match means so much to our staff!

Thank you, Carly, and thank you to all our staff for the work you do! And many, many congratulations to Judy and Judy's loving adopter!

Going Home: The Boss

Hurray! It's Feline Friday again! We said that we would only have our reduced adoption fee for older cats until August, but we liked it's effects so much that we've decided to keep it going until September 19. We'd like to adopt out some more of our adult kitties to all you wonderful people. 

With that in mind, we've got a real treat of a Going Home story for you, today. This beautiful, moving story was sent to us in memory of Methuselah (AKA ‘The Boss’). Former foster parent Tak wrote this note in hopes we could share it with the Berkeley Humane community. We’re glad to do so, and would like to thank The Boss’ eventual adopter Helen, and Tak too, for giving The Boss so much love, understanding, and bliss during his last few years of life.
 

Our most sincere condolences to Helen; we know you gave him a fantastic home, and we're grateful that you two were able to spend the last few years together.

From Tak:

"Methuselah was one of the 10 adult cats we fostered for the Berkeley Humane Society over the period of two years following the fire at the shelter in May 2010. He was a very BIG, beautiful, handsome orange and white Maine Coon Cat mix who was over 16 years old when we fostered him during the summer of 2011. He was FiV positive and also had a bum rear leg which presumably hadn't healed properly after an injury. He had been returned to Berkeley Humane after having been adopted as a youngster.

He was a calm, confident and content cat. Nothing seemed to disturb him. As a foster cat, he had to remain isolated from the other pets in our household. But living almost alone in a single room didn't bother him. He enjoyed the couple hours a day that we would spend with him, but otherwise kept himself occupied studying the world from the windows and tearing up the fresh cat mint we gave him. He seemed to understand that he was a little too big to fit comfortably on our laps and so instead would sit next to us when we shared his room. He liked being combed which is good thing since he had such long fur which tended to tangle.

He knew what was what in the world. Methuselah was the only cat I've ever dealt with who would voluntarily walk into a cat carrier when I opened it for him. He knew that every time he went into the carrier he was going on a trip and he liked to go places. He was very calm, very social and relaxed during the weekends at the shelter while meeting new people and being close to other cats. The somewhat noisy and busy environment at the shelter disturbed him not a bit. At the end of the many weekends he spent at the shelter, I would come by with his carrier and open it. He would voluntarily walk in, happy to be headed back home. Unlike all the other foster cats we had, the trips back and forth to the shelter stressed him not at all.

There are few people interested in adopting older cats like Methuselah. And even fewer who would adopt such a very old cat with a latent illness. After four months of fostering him and knowing that there was no one seriously interested in adopting him, I began to wonder whether we could find a way to keep him for ourselves. Methuselah's personality had won us over. We knew that he would likely not have many more years left. We considered becoming foster failures. But with his FiV positive status, we couldn't find a practical way to integrate him into our household which includes both an indoor/outdoor cat and a dog. They are both accustomed to having the back door always open.

One weekend a woman in her 90's who lived alone walked into the shelter seeking to adopt the oldest cat available. She wanted a cat in the same stage of life as her. Helen met Methuselah and was immediately taken by him. She adopted him on the spot. The adoption staff said that she looked ecstatic at her good fortune.

As foster caregivers, we normally do not have contact with the adopters. Nor in most cases would it be appropriate. But in the case of Methuselah we asked for and received special permission from the staff to stay in touch with Helen and her new cat. Helen was very welcoming of our request.

Over the next two years we visited every couple of months with Helen and the “Boss,” Methuselah's new name. The Boss kept Helen busy with his gentle antics and all in all being good quiet company. They both seemed quite content. Helen celebrated her 98th birthday a couple of months ago. He enriched her life with his company. She took very good care of him. And we too became friends with Helen who isn't able to go out much.

In the last months, Methuselah lost weight. He was now well over 18 years old. In October 2013, he died. Helen misses him terribly and is very heartbroken. We too miss him very much.

This is a happy story, a story of success. We wish that all the cats and dogs get to live out their natural lives with caring, loving owners. Methuselah had a very good life and enriched the lives of his humans. This is the goal we have when we save pets. We are enhancing our own lives as well as those of the cats and dogs."

We couldn’t agree more—thank you for the eloquent words, Tak, and for all you did for The Boss (and the many other animals who you helped us save.) Thank you too, friends, for taking the time to read about The Boss. We hope you’ll join us in sending good thoughts to Helen.

Are you or your cat ready for a new best friend? Today, Berkeley Humane is celebrating Feline Friday with $5 adoption fees for cats 5 months and over! Come by our Adoption Center today to meet our snuggly and playful cats ready to go to loving homes. 

Going Home : Milo (Again!)

Welcome to another edition of Woof Wednesday!

Do you all remember Milo? His adoption happened a while back, but his adopters have been really great about keeping us in the loop.

We were super happy to receive a new set of pictures from them. These FANTASTIC photos from their last few months together really show how much MIlo is a part of the family. Aren't they great? Now, on to his adopters: 

"Hello all! Here are some updated pics of our sweet boy!"

Thank you, adopters! We’re so glad to see Milo having such a ball with you all—these are great pictures! He seems like a real happy fellow to be with you all. Yay, Milo!

Do you want a friend as awesome as Milo? Then come by our shelter on Woof Wednesday to see if your new canine pal is there waiting for you!