After Berkeley Humane: Sugar Plum Fairy

Sugar Plum Fairy is one of the most darling gals to ever come into our Adoption Center. And her name turned out to be rather serendipitous—her adopter works at a ballet school, so the moniker ‘Sugar Plum Fairy’ makes us think this pairing was meant to be!

I've had Sugar Plum Fairy one month and I've loved every minute.

I am totally in love with my little pup, Sugar Plum Fairy. I take her to work with me (a ballet school) everyone loves her! She has to greet each individual. When it's time to get to work she dutifully curls up in her bed. When I'm not at work she helps me in the back yard and gets to wander around moving mulch and smelling. We've already learned how to fetch and after a session of fetch she's often so excited that she tears around the house or yard. We take a walk on a leash each day and are getting better about not stopping every two feet to check out a small or a sound.

What lovely photos, and what a sweet little update from Sugar Plum Fairy’s adopter! We all sat around ooh-ing and aah-ing over this cuteness overload!

Thank you for passing these along! Congratulations on your “sweet” new life, Sugar Plum Fairy!

After Berkeley Humane: Gompers

Little boy Gompers, formerly known as Jingles, was scooped up by his new mama who emailed in to share this adorable picture (and a little bit of an update on how he’s been doing!)

Things are going really well for Gompers and me! He recently got his first haircut and it’s amazing how much slimmer he is without all of that hair! I've attached a photo.

 

He is also doing quite well with his training, but I am excited to bring him to obedience class at Berkeley Humane. I think he would enjoy agility, so I'm hoping to work toward that.

Gompers gets along well with my roommate's Chihuahua, and they enjoy playing together. Everyone is impressed by his calm demeanor, and he has certainly made my life much richer. 

Thanks again for all you do to make adoption possible.

Woohoo for Gompers! It sounds like he has seamlessly become a part of the home. Thank you to Gompers’ adopter for giving him such a clearly great life! Can’t wait to see you two in training classes soon!

Do you want to enroll your dog in one of our training classes, too? We offer a variety of behavior and training services to all dog owners—but if your dog is a Berkeley Humane alumni, our basic manners class is HALF OFF!

Enroll or learn more about our training classes here!

After Berkeley Humane: Owen

Meet Owen! Owen, formerly Orrin, was adopted from us in May of this year. His adopters already had a cat at home (John—another Berkeley Humane alum!) and they hoped the two cats would bond. Happily for Owen and John, they certainly did bond—now, the two are inseparable!

From the start, Owen has been extremely loving with us, but he wasn’t sure what to make of John, our 14-year-old orange tabby. Owen was 10 when he came to live with us and had been declawed by his previous owner(s). He had been living on the street and in various shelters, and I suspect had had some bad experiences that made him leery of strange new cats. John, however, was also declawed by his previous owner and is so sweet and mellow we call him our “honey cat.” He soon convinced Owen that all he wanted was to be his new friend. They love to play “bop, run and chase,” and John, who had been getting a bit portly with his advancing years, has even lost some weight! They also like sleeping near each other in patches of sun. Most recently, John had to have dental surgery for an abscess. When we put John in his carrier and he started yowling, Owen not only tried to get into the carrier, he tried to stop us from leaving the house with John—he grabbed my wife’s calf with his paws and teeth (fortunately, she was wearing jeans) and tried to bring her down! Now that John is back and recovering, Owen is extremely gentle with him.

Owen is a wonderful addition to our home—a warm, purring, lap cat with us, and an exuberant pal (as well as fierce and loyal friend) for John. 

He is truly a wonderful cat, and we love him to pieces.

(P.S.  John was also adopted from Berkeley Humane, in December of 2002.)

We’re so happy that Owen has found a happy home to blossom in as well as a new playmate. Thank you, adopters—and thanks to John, too, for making Owen your friend!

After Berkeley Humane: Sweet Charlie

Say hello to Sweet Charlie (formerly Mulan)! Sweet Charlie’s adopter, when writing in to us with their after-Berkeley Humnae story, mentioned something that struck a chord with us. She wrote that Sweet Charlie “is the cutest kitty ever (but I’m sure you hear that a lot.)”

Well, yep, we do. And you know what? That’s because every family’s pet kitty IS the world’s cutest kitty, at least in their own eyes. (And sometimes, we gotta be honest, EVERYONE’s eyes. The cats and kittens we adopt out are serious stunners!)

We love matching animals with that one person or family that sees them as the best, cutest, cuddliest, most amazing pet there ever was. We love hearing that feedback from adopters, too, that they’re happy they found their one true pet love at Berkeley Humane.

Read on for more of Sweet Charlie’s gratifying after-Berkeley Humane story!

I wanted to send a picture of Sweet Charlie and let you know she's doing just fine. She's loving, affectionate, lazy as can be, and she plays fetch!  Yes, fetch!! It is so cool, we think she has dog in her... heehee.  If we leave the room she follows and comes when we call her, too cute. She's a talker and has a different meeeow for her needs and she is the cutest kitty ever (but I'm sure you hear that a lot.) She is such a joy and wonderful to have around.  We all love her so much!

We’re so happy for this cat, and for her new parents. Sweet Charlie sounds like a riot! Thanks for tuning in to this latest after-Berkeley Humane love story!

After Berkeley Humane: Moochie

Moochie, formerly Ludlow, was adopted from us a few months ago. His adoptive parents sent these pictures in to us with this simple note: “Isn’t he beautiful?”

(He so is! Enjoy the pictures!)

What an easy, breezy life for this guy. (And what a calm canine sibling he's got, too!) Thank you to Moochie’s family for sharing these wonderful photos!

After Berkeley Humane: Max

Max, formerly Georgio, was a staff favorite around these parts before he went off to his happy new home! Max now has a family who loves him to bits, and what sounds like a life full of treats, exploring, and creature comforts!

Here’s Max’s story of life after adoption—and in his special installation of ‘After Berkeley Humane’, this story is straight from Max himself!

My name is Max, and I am six-months-old. I am a Havanese puppy who was recently adopted. My new home is so much fun because I have 3 older "siblings" that I get to play with, I go for walks to the park with my family, I have a big backyard to roam around in, and I am about to attend doggie school with my mom! I even have a comfy bed I sleep on at night and all the toys I could ever dream of! Oh, and the doggie treats I get for being a "good boy" are delicious! Here are a few pictures of me!

Max is clearly one happy pooch! We are so excited for him to grow up, learn how to be the best puppy he can be in school, and to live the wonderful life we know his family plans to give him! Yay for Max!

After Berkeley Humane: Snow Foots

Snow Foots, formerly known as Fontella Bass, was adopted from us in 2013. Given what our friends over on the East Coast are contending with these days, we thought she'd be the perfect kitty to feature on this week's post-adoption update!

Snow Foots is a stunning cat—in fact, you might recognize her from a series of professional photos that a volunteer took of her! (We love the pictures and use them occasionally on our thank-you cards.) Her adopter has been in touch with us from time to time since taking her home, and shared this update with us for the blog! Check it out!

Here’s Fontella Bass (now Snow Foots) six months later! She runs the place.She is loved so much and all her fur has grown back in! (Note: She really likes German Shepherds/puppies! Surprise!) Thanks so much, she is dearly loved.

We’re about to bust a seam, we’re giggling so much at the image of Snowfoots tagging along behind a German Shepherd. Adorable! We are proud and endlessly grateful that Snowfoots and her mama have found each other.

Do these images of Snowfoots make your heart go pitter-patter? Want to help us take more beautiful photos of the animals in our shelter? Our volunteer photographer needs assistants to help wrangle kittens and puppies during shoots. If you’d like to volunteer a few hours a week for this (super fun!) job, email our Marketing Manager, Emily Lines, at elines@berkeleyhumane.org to inquire!

After Berkeley Humane: Buster

Buster is, quite simply, a happy cat who found a great family! We're pleased as punch to have sheltered Buster for the short time we did before his new parents came to meet him. Here's an update from his new mama and papa we thought we'd share:

Buster is doing GREAT, and we could not be happier. He and our other nine year old cat have become fast friends, so we are one big happy family. You guys are a great organization, and we really appreciate all that you do.

Thank you for the kind words: It's so wonderful that Buster has become such an integral part of your home. (He looks like a true part of the family, and so comfortable with you!) Thank you, so much, for giving him a loving home.

Volunteer of the Month: Audrey!

Finding devoted adopters over 930 times in 2013 took an immeasurable amount of hard work on the part of our team of about 25 staff, but it also took hours and hours of help from our incredible base of volunteers, interns, and foster families. Everyone who dedicates their time (and love) to Berkeley Humane makes an impact, and their work directly results in the saving of dog' and cats' lives. Some volunteers are able to give a few hours a week for a short time, others come back day after day for years. Each and every one is special to us and leaves our hearts full, our animals loved, and our programs supported.

In addition to volunteers and foster families, we rely on a few very talented interns to support many of our programs. One such intern, Audrey, found her way to Berkeley Humane back in June. She joined the Development Department having been recruited to conduct research for our major giving program. Audrey dove into her duties with full enthusiasm, completing each task far beyond our greatest expectations. She is a natural self-starter, thinking beyond just her immediate duties and strategizing ways to make her work as thorough, well executed, and impactful as possible. It was clear early on that Audrey's dedication, acuity, and drive would enable her to help the development department in a variety of ways, and that her reach would go far beyond her original job description. 

As Audrey describes her initial interest in the internship, “I wanted to intern for Berkeley Humane not only because I love animals, but because I wanted to learn about nonprofit management. I was specifically interested in learning about what a development department can do to support a cause-focused organization like Berkeley Humane. I knew how vitally important financial stability and growth are to any organization, but I didn’t know much about the ways a nonprofit could rally their supporters and turn their enthusiasm into capital. Acquiring donors, or encouraging a donor’s continued support, seemed like total witchcraft to me, and I was unsure of how a development department functions to support a cause.

“After being accepted as the development intern, I thought I would get to improve my research skills a bit, and maybe see how an experienced development director could transform supporter interest into actual dollars for an important cause. I leave having not only seen what kind of process it takes to facilitate a donor’s giving, but I got to help in a great deal of work that I had not expected I’d ever get to take on. I was given complex, challenging projects that were incredibly rewarding (along with patient guidance and support when needed), as well as day-to-day tasks that were directly related to the health of the organization as a whole. I have been made to feel like a real part of the development team, and the Berkeley Humane team as a whole, and I have taken on jobs every day that have had actual impact on the organization. It has been gratifying to be able to work on tasks that I could immediately see benefited Berkeley Humane. There were no coffee runs; there was no busywork. Every job I was asked to take on was actually helping the staff run Berkeley Humane.”

Audrey’s impact on not only the development team, but on the organization as a whole and the animals whose lives she’s helped save is an inspiration to all of us here at Berkeley Humane. She heads off to college soon, and when she goes, there will be very big shoes to fill by the next group of interns who come in to support our programs. Audrey’s love for animals and dedication to Berkeley Humane have touched so many aspects of how we fulfill our mission from donor cultivation to social media, from event planning to marketing strategy, from animal photography to donor recognition, from building partnerships with local businesses to helping plan our branding efforts. Doing the work that we do at Berkeley Humane, and doing it well, takes a team of compassionate and relentless individuals. Each person brings a unique patch to the fabric of our organization, and we have long benefited from a volunteer base with a diverse make-up of backgrounds and skills. 

We truly hit the jackpot when Audrey applied to intern with us, and for all she's done for our team and for the animals, we will be eternally grateful. Audrey will surely go on to do incredible things for animals and people alike as she pursues a career in public policy. 

Audrey, thank you for all you’ve done for our organization and for granting Berkeley Humane the honor of being a piece of your journey. On behalf of the animals, and those of us fortunate enough to care for them each day, thank you, Audrey for making a difference for us all.

The Berkeley Humane Team

After Berkeley Humane: Dixie

Sometimes luck is the name of the game here at Berkeley Humane. Not every dog or cat is so lucky as to find their special person as soon as they come into the shelter, but when they do, it’s completely magical! Our stellar canine friend Liz, who has volunteered with us for years, was smitten when little lady Dixie (then named Bianca) came into our shelter in 2010. As one of our more experienced canine friends, Liz was asked to help Dixie in particular because of her ‘special needs’: Dixie suffers from megaesophagus, and when she arrived at Berkeley Humane she needed a little extra love and care from our staff and volunteers.

Liz helped our fantastic medical team nurse Dixie into a healthier state, and in doing so fell utterly in love with her. As soon as Dixie was given the all-clear, Dixie went home with Liz—and we’re glad she did. Here’s why Dixie is such a lucky dog:

“Dixie is my ‘special needs’ dog from Berkeley Humane. She has megaesophagus and is blind, but a cutie! Dixie is a real love, and that’s what got her rescued from another animal shelter and able to come to Berkeley Humane. Once she got here, some very skilled vets and RVTs cared for her. I was a volunteer then who gave her special feeding and care until it was decided that she could be adopted (by me) as a special needs dog… just a few days before the fire. Whew, a very, very lucky dog… and a very lucky me, too!

Dixie wasn’t blind when I adopted her, megaesophagus was (and is) her problem. Her blindness is hereditary and gradually came after we had her for about a year. Sadly there’s no cure for that. She is a GREAT dog… and very photogenic, as you can see!”

Liz’s total adoration for Dixie is so obvious, and we couldn't be happier for the two of them! We’re glad Dixie’s able to bring a little magic into Liz’s life, and that Liz has given Dixie such a beautiful fresh start. They’re both very lucky to have each other! Thank you, Liz, for sharing your story with us (and the truly cute picture--Dixie's a real stunner!)

Does Dixie's story move you? Our volunteers help us not only by loving on our animals, but by taking on important jobs like Liz did in assisting in special needs care. Do you think that kind of work would mean something to you? Email our volunteer program manager Cristina at cverduzco@berkeleyhumane.org for more information!