300 Days and Counting

300 Days and Counting

Kaye is celebrating her 300th day with Berkeley Humane this week, and although we’re big fans of anniversaries, this isn’t a cause for celebration – unless a party will bring Kaye an adopter!

Kaye is the last of 150 animals to find a home here in the Bay Area that were all evacuated in advance of Hurricane Irma from a shelter in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Why has it taken so long to find a new home for this sweet, 30-pound girl? Because her story did not start in Florida. Kaye began her life on the streets of Puerto Rico, was rescued, and sent to the Humane Society of Broward County (HSBC) in Ft. Lauderdale.

Then in September 2017, Hurricane Irma threatened Ft. Lauderdale. With less than 24 hours to plan, HSBC's entire shelter population was put onto a plane and flown to California. Once safely landed, the dogs and cats were greeted by a collation of animal welfare agencies, including Tony LaRussa's Animal Rescue Foundation, East Bay SPCA, and Berkeley Humane. The animals were quickly divided between the three partners. Once back at Berkeley Humane, we discovered that our new arrivals included three very shy dogs originally from the streets of Puerto Rico. We named them Holly, Kendra, and Kaye.

At Berkeley Humane, all of our animals come to us from larger public facilities that are often overcrowded or under-resourced. It is not uncommon for these animals to need individualized behavior plans to help them acclimate to their new environments. However, Holly, Kendra, and Kaye were different in that they had never actually bonded with people and didn't have a clue how to be a typical family pet. 

Berkeley Humane's patient and loving team of volunteers and staff worked hard over the months to come to slowly bring out their individual personalities. Holly and Kendra were eventually adopted, but as of today, Kaye has not found her perfect match. The right family for Kaye will recognize her sweet personality, but will also give her the time she needs to build her confidence in a loving and patient environment. 

“Kaye should not be forced or rushed into new situations – she will decide when she’s ready. She’ll need time to adjust to a home at her own pace,” explains Jesse Schumaker, Berkeley Humane's Animal Care Specialist. “She’d love a home where she can have dog friends. Her personality really blossoms when she is around other dogs who are confident and can show her the way.”

The good news is that Kaye does like people. She can just take a little while to warm up to someone, but she is playful and food motivated. Very food motivated! 

“Kaye does bond very strongly with people, especially people who feed her. She loves deli meat,” laughs Michelle Jewell, Berkeley Humane's Veterinary/Adoption Specialist. “With food and lots of patience, her adopter will soon have a 30-pound shadow following them all around their home.” 

Kaye's one-year anniversary is coming up quickly and if ever there was a dog that deserves to be out of a shelter and into a loving home, it's our girl Kaye.  The volunteers and staff at Berkeley Humane are appealing to our community to help find Kaye, who has traveled over 4,000 miles, find a happy ending to her story.

Please share

You can help by sharing this blog post or sharing Kaye’s video to help find her perfect match.

Think Kaye might be the one for you? 

Our staff can provide guidance and adoption advice for her love and care. “The things that the Berkeley Humane staff emphasized about adopting a traumatized animal were really helpful, even despite our previous experiences with other shelter animals,” says Erik, adopter of Holly (another dog from Puerto Rico who was rescued with Kaye). “They will prepared you for the extra time and effort that is necessary to Kaye’s adjustment.”

Contact us

Berkeley Humane

dogs@berkeleyhumane.org

510-845-7735

2700 Ninth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710

www.berkeleyhumane.org

Introducing a dog into your cat-only household

"...dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!" - Dr. Peter Venkman, Ghostbusters

Did you know that that cats and dogs don’t have to know each other from kittenhood and puppyhood to be able to live together? It is definitely possible to successfully introduce an adult dog into a cat household, and even for the two to eventually become pals. So if you’re an animal lover with a cat already in your home, it is still possible for you to adopt or foster a dog! Here are some tips and tricks to help facilitate successful introductions. 

First, set up your cat for success! Before your bring a dog into your home, you can work on the following with your cat: 

• Place the litter box, cat food and water in a safe space, where the dog cannot access it.
• Create high, safe spaces in your home that your dog cannot reach. You can use tall cat trees or install fun shelving on the walls for your cat to climb. Ideally, your cat would be able to get from one end of a room to the other without having to touch the ground. This allows your cat to observe and get used to the presence of a dog without feeling like they are in danger. This also provides your kitty with much more space as well as an easy escape route if they become overwhelmed.
• Even dogs that can be great with cats will chase anything that runs away, so work on building confidence in your cat! This can be done by spending lots of time playing with your cat, in addition to providing lots of vertical space and escape routes. 

Second, take your time finding the right dog that is the right fit for your family!

• Ideally, you should select a dog that has had prior experience with cats. If this is not possible, it would be wise to choose one that has tested well with cats at the shelter. Although testing well with cats at the shelter doesn’t always translate to doing well with cats in the home, it can be a helpful indicator. 
• If you have a senior cat at home, it may be a good idea to look for a more mellow, lower energy dog that won’t play too rough. 
• Curiosity and chasing can be worked on, but if a dog is lunging aggressively towards cats and shows strong prey drive, it probably isn’t a good dog to bring into a home with your cat. 
• Rotate the animals in the house for a few days to get them used to each other's scent - keep them from seeing each other by keeping the cat in a room during the day, and allowing the dog the rest of the space. At night, keep the dog in a room, and give the cat free run of the house to explore the exciting new scents.
• It’s critical to work on very strong basic cues with your dog, such as “leave it” or “wait” and to develop a very solid recall, so that you can recall the dog if it gets too interested in the cat. Berkeley Humane offers all sorts of training classes that would be helpful, you can see a full list of classes here. 

Third, make sure the first introductions takes place in a calm, controlled environment. 

• During the first introduction, the dog should be leashed and under control. Its best that the introduction take place when both animals are calm, and in an area where the cat has vertical space to perch up high. 
• Give your dog plenty of treats and if it gets too focused on the cat, recall its attention. Do your best to ensure that both animals get used to being relaxed in the same space together. These leashed interactions should happen for several days without incident before you allow unleashed interactions. If you are away, make sure to keep the dog in an exercise pen, crate, or separate room where it cannot be alone with the cat. 

Fourth, move on to supervised unleashed interactions

• Once a week or more of leashed interactions go by with out any alarming occurrences, you are ready for supervised, unleashed interactions. 
• Keep a vigilant eye out for any signs of rising tension, and continue to treat the dog and keep the interactions calm and mellow. Do not hesitate separating the two again if you feel that they are not ready for this step. 

Finally, unsupervised interactions!

• After a month or more of supervised, off leash interactions go without incident, you may be able to start leaving the two alone together. Start with shorter periods of time, and work your way up. Of course, you are the best judge of your dog and cat. Keep an eye out on body language and warning signs, and don’t hesitate to start separating the two if you have any doubts. 

Signs to look out for: 

• Dog getting overly focused in on the cat. Break the focus by recalling and rewarding with treats. If recall doesn’t work, physically body block the cat from the dog to break focus. 
• Keep an eye out on your cat’s eating, drinking, and litter box habits. If these habits are not normal or don’t go back to normal after an adjustment period, your cat may be stressed.
• Be observant of body language and watch for aggression. This can go both ways - if your cat is continually acting out against a completely calm dog, and it is being properly exercised and has plenty of safe spaces to retreat, you may not have a dog-friendly cat. 

Though it may seem daunting at first, once you get started the process will feel somewhat intuitive. Introducing a dog into your feline family can be a wonderful, rewarding experience for everyone involved. 

If you’re interested in adopting a dog, check out our adoptable dogs here! For more information on volunteering as a foster, please visit our volunteer page. 

Octopurr special!

We're celebrating our black cats friends this month!

Every Friday in October (err... Octopurrr), black cats and kittens are available for adoption for $10!

They're sleek, they're shiny, they're sophisticated, they'll match any decor, plus they look like teeny tiny miniature panthers. How cool is that?

Here's a look at some of the sleek kitties waiting to meet you:

Bastet

Aquarius, Gemini, Libra, Scorpio, and Pisces

Catgirl

Come celebrate with us Fridays 11-5pm at 2700 Ninth St. Berkeley, and bring your friends who are ready for a new BFF (best furry friend)!

Win big at Bark (& Meow) Around the Block!

Bark (& Meow) Around the Block, Berkeley Humane’s annual street fair and adopt-a-thon, may be a month away but we’re already preparing extraordinary raffle prizes for some lucky winners.

For only $5 a ticket (or $20 for five tickets), participants have a chance to win up to $1,300 in prizes! 

Pet prizes include a puppy starter kit, two nights at Wags Hotel’s Ultra Suite, and a shopping spree for earth-friendly toys and treats.

People prizes include a Literary Mystery package from Dark Carnival Books, beauty services from Keter Salon or White Rose Skin Care, cruises on the Bay, a Berkeley wine, bed, and breakfast package, and even a luxury night in Napa valley with free wine.

That’s just the start! Many more prizes await and we’re bound to add more as the event draws closer.

One of the greatest prizes might be the new pet you adopt. Berkeley Humane partners with 20 animal rescue organizations to bring a huge variety of adoptable animals to Bark (& Meow) Around the Block.

Join us on Saturday, August 15 for live music, family-friendly games & activities, food, drink, pets, and prizes!

Some adoptable cats at Berkeley Humane this weekend

TGIFF! (Thank goodness it's Feline Friday!)

Today is a good day to think about adopting a cat. (Well, most days are. But especially Fridays — because Berkeley Humane is open for adoptions to kick off a weekend of uniting adoptable pets with dedicated adopters!) 

Some wonderful kittens and adult cats are looking for homes, and they'd love to meet you at Berkeley Humane this weekend from 11am to 5pm, Friday through Sunday. 

Considering a kitten? Here are some cuties looking "fur" love:

Shasta, Anza, and Hetch Hetchy are here to purr, play, and remind you to conserve water in this drought!

Mercury, one of the gray kittens in this pile, would love to monkey pile on you next!

Looking for a calmer pet? Maybe one who already knows the ropes? Check out these adolescent and adult cats:

 

 Photograph by Michael Goldberg

 Camilla is a gorgeous 10-year-old beauty who loves people and could be friendly with other cats given a proper introduction. Read more about Camilla.

 

Photograph by Michael Goldberg

Catgirl is a super-playful super-cat who has a heart full of love to offer. She's FIV positive (which requires no extra veterinary care!) and so needs a home where she's the only cat or is with other FIV+ kitties. Learn more about Catgirl.

 Aurora? Well, she's just plain cute. Read more about Aurora.

Stop by to meet these great cats, or take a look at our website to see who else is waiting to add some purrs to your weekend!

Maddie's Pet Adoption Days: May 30 and 31!

Welcome to Feline Friday: the best way to ease into Caturday.

We interrupt our usual Friday cat focus to share wonderful news that benefits all adoptable felines and canines at Berkeley Humane.

Next weekend, May 30 and 31, are Maddie's Pet Adoption Days, during which we'll waive 100% of the adoption fees! Stop by Berkeley Humane Saturday and Sunday between 10-4 to meet our wonderful adoptable cats, dogs, kittens, and puppies. 

Visit our website to learn more about both this exciting event and Maddie's Fund, which makes Maddie's Pet Adoption Days possible.

While you're on our website, check out some of the cats and dogs who might be looking for love during Maddie's Pet Adoption Days. 

  
Here's resident superkitty Catgirl, for example, posing for photographer Michael Goldberg.

We hope to see you May 30 and 31 at Berkeley Humane! 

Getting to Know Delta

Happy Feline Friday!

Today's featured cat has a very particular set of skills — she's a great mouser, a beautifier of outdoor spaces, and an explorer.

The trade-off is that she's no lap cat! (On the bright side, you won't get cat hair on your clothes and your allergy-suffering friends can still visit.)

Delta's ideal home isn't your house. This two-year-old calico would prefer a barn, a roomy yard or garden, or some cat-friendly outdoor acres. Why not give this lovely lady a chance to be a free-roaming community cat near you?

Berkeley Humane's Cat Program Manager Carly Skonnord discovered Delta and shared her astounding story:

Delta was trapped in Antioch along with her two kittens and left outside Antioch Animal Services in a box. Because she was abandoned, we don't know where her original colony is and therefore can not just re-release her to that location.
 
I first met her last March, the day after she arrived, when I was there for another mom and two kittens. She was being housed in a small room that was predominantly filled with noisy dogs, and she was terrified and huddled in the back of the cage away from her babies. Her eye was red and almost squinted shut, and she looked mildly emaciated but her kittens were robust and healthy, so I knew she must also be healthy. Although Berkeley Humane doesn't typically deal with feral cats, I couldn't leave her and her babies (Epsilon and Zeta) behind knowing that we could give them quiet, comfortable housing and medical care.

I brought them back to Berkeley Humane where we vaccinated her and started her on antibiotics for her eye, which seemed to be fine but very exacerbated by stress. I set them up in a condo in the X-Ray room, which for the next two months gave her a place to hide and allowed us to socialize her babies. The kittens were able to grow up to be extremely friendly, playful, and very fond of humans. They are now in foster care waiting to be neutered, and she is weaned, spayed, and more distressed by the day (hence the urgency for finding her placement). Hopefully, she will be relocated to a place where she can slowly become acclimated, and then released to continue her life as a free-roaming cat.

Delta has raised wonderful kittens and dealt bravely with what must be an anxious time for her. It's time for her to be rewarded with a safe new home where she can be her independent self. 
 
Check out Delta's adoption profile to learn more. Please share her story with friends who might have a suitable space available.

If Delta is just the cat to spruce up the outdoors near you, please contact cats@berkeleyhumane.org or stop by during adoption hours (11-5 Friday through Sunday).
Berkeley Humane can provide more information about introducing Delta to your space and integrating her into her new life.

Guest Post: 10 Things You May Not Know About Berkeley Humane

By: Kosin Huang

Berkeley Humane has been around a long time and has an interesting history. Here are some tidbits you may or may not know about us:

1. We've been around since 1927...that's 87 years! (And in dog years, we're 609 years old!)
2. When we first opened, we were located in a former pool hall.
3. We are not affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States, or any other animal welfare organization.
4. We saved 938 animals last year, and are on track to save 1,000 this year!
5. We are one of few animal rescue groups that have our own veterinary team serving homeless animals.
6. Our neo-natal kitten foster program is unique in the region. 
7. We used to be called "Animal Rescue Haven".
8. We offer monthly grief counseling for those who've lost their pets. 
9. We like to pun and have hosted such events as "Bay to Barkers", "Pints for Paws", and "Bark (& Meow) Around the Block.
10. We just debuted a Mobile Adoption Center (a custom-built vehicle that enables us to bring our dogs and cats into East Bay communities and make more loving matches)!

Kosin Huang is a board member and development committee chair for Berkeley Humane. She lives in the East Bay with her husband, daughter, and a rescue mutt named Spartacus.

Are you ready for Bark (& Meow) Around the Block?

Our 2nd annual Bark (& Meow) Around the Block is right around the corner! On September 21st Berkeley Humane will host an adopt-a-thon and street fair, full of food and fun, music and games, free dog and cat adoptions from Berkeley Humane, as well as many other critters from local rescues!

Starting time for the event is 11AM, and we won't stop until 4 PM. The event is family friendly and pets are welcome, so if you have a party animal or a cool cat you'd love to bring, this is your event. Do make sure you have them on a leash!

If you're looking to adopt a dog or cat, Berkeley Humane will offer free adoptions that day to qualified adopters! There will also be a dozen other adoption agencies who'll bring their animals for you to meet, greet and adopt. Many vendors of all kinds will also be there, so you can pamper your animal and yourself. If the pet cuddling and fun activities wear you out, you can plop down for a beer and some tasty food and enjoy the live music and entertainment.

Going the extra mile

Bark (& Meow) Around the Block also has a fundraising component and you can participate! Go here to sign up for the HERO Walk Around The Block, where you (and your dog, cat or kid) can leisurely walk around Berkeley Humane's city block, to help support our free adoptions during the adopt-a-thon.  The HERO Walk will take place right before the street fair opens, so you can help us fundraise and not miss out of any of the fun.

No matter what you choose to do, we look forward to welcoming you at Bark (& Meow) Around the Block!