We got this grant report from Humane Society of Warren County in Front Royal, VA. Executive director Lavenda Denney tells us:
“A loving pit bull named King had once been adopted but then returned to the shelter because he was suffering from separation anxiety. During times of separation, he was chewing excessively and causing destruction in the home.
“He was also an escape artist. His first adoptive family lived in town limits and the neighbors were scared of King due to his breed. All of these behavioral issues combined forced the family to return King, although he had been wonderful with the family, very kind and loving, as long as he had adequate attention.
“Once returned, we placed King in a Thundershirt. He did very well in kennel, participated in shelter dog-play groups and off-site adoption events. King was even featured at a Chamber of Commerce after-hours event. He was given a second chance when a wonderful family came to adopt him.
King in his Thundershirt. “He was so excited to be adopted that he wouldn’t sit still,” Denney says.
“The family was made aware of his separation anxiety and escape issues. King was sent home with his Thundershirt in an effort to continue to reduce his stress level as he transitioned (once again) from the shelter to a new home environment. King’s new family was trained on the use of the Thundershirt and encouraged to purchase a shirt.”
These days, most people who adopt find their pets on Petfinder before they meet them at a shelter. That means the pet’s photo plays a big part in making a first impression.
And wouldn’t it be great if all shelter pets could have their portraits taken by a bestselling, world-famous pet photographer? Like, say, Underwater Dogs author Seth Casteel?
Seth can’t photograph every homeless pet, but in our new program with The Animal Rescue Site and GreaterGood.org, One Picture Saves a Life, he’s traveling the country training shelter staff and volunteers to take pictures the way he does — pictures that show the pet’s true personality. And our friends at John Paul: Pet are helping to give those pets grooming makeovers so they can truly put their best faces forward.
One Picture Saves a Life kicks off at St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center in Madison, NJ, and will be followed by stops in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, NC, and Puerto Rico.
We’re thrilled to announce that we’ve partnered with Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (BIVI) and The Animal Rescue Site to help vaccinate 2 million shelter pets.
The initiative, called A Shot at Life … Join the 2 Million Pet Challenge!, is a three-part collaboration to help protect shelter pets against disease so that they are more likely to be adopted.
Nearly 8 million pets enter shelters each year, with about half of them making it out. A Shot at Life … Join the 2 Million Pet Challenge! will vaccinate 25 percent of the shelter population and hopefully help more animals be adopted.
Visitors to The Animal Rescue Site, a partner of GreaterGood.org, can click daily on the “Click Here — it’s FREE” button on the site. For every click, the funding from advertising sponsors helps pay for food and care for shelter animals.
The Petfinder Foundation works with shelters, rescue organizations and animal welfare organizations across the country to help ensure that no adoptable pet is euthanized for lack of a good home. Based on the number of clicks the campaign gets through The Animal Rescue Site, the Petfinder Foundation will work with local shelters to provide vaccination awards.
BIVI will provide the vaccines that will be granted to shelters to vaccinate both dogs and cats. “We are extremely excited about this partnership,” says Colin Meyers, BIVI’s executive director, pet division. “We believe prevention is the best medicine and that every dog and cat deserves to be protected against disease.”
BIVI has already donated 13,500 doses of vaccine to help pets displaced by Superstorm Sandy. Working with the Petfinder Foundation, more than 13,000 pets were vaccinated due to this effort, and BIVI hopes A Shot at Life … Join the 2 Million Pet Challenge! will continue to help more animals be vaccinated.
“Imagine 2 million animals being vaccinated just because people went to The Animal Rescue Site and clicked on our sponsorship ad,” says Meyers. “It is truly amazing what we can do if we work together, and I look forward to the day we vaccinate that two-millionth pet.”
“The Animal Rescue site is proud to have Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., as a partner,” says Liz Baker, executive director of GreaterGood.org. “We believe together we can give shelter pets a better chance of finding homes by keeping them healthy with vaccinations.”
“Our mission is to ensure no adoptable pet is euthanized for lack of a home,” says Petfinder Foundation executive director Lisa Robinson. “Providing good health is one of the biggest steps in helping animals find good homes. BIVI is providing that through preventive health.”
We received this grant report from Cyndi Dill at HELP Humane Society in Belton, MO, which received a Shelter+ Challenge grant from the Petfinder Foundation and The Animal Rescue Site.
Slick and his new best friend.
“Slick was brought into our vet clinic right at closing time on a Saturday afternoon. A Good Samaritan had seen the kitten get tossed from a car right in front of her. She stopped to help the kitten but could not afford to have his injuries treated. Her vet contacted us about taking over his care and we were happy to be able to help him.
“Our vets were not sure he would survive — he had many injuries and a hairline fracture on one of this back legs. He did survive and is now in a family where they can’t imagine life without him. Their little girl dresses him up. He is now a year old. Slick loves his little girl.
“In addition, we were able to purchase 30 feline leukemia/FIV combo tests at $813.60. Each and every cat that comes into our shelter must be tested, and the test is not cheap. We were so happy to be able to purchase these with a portion of your grant!”
Thank you to everyone who voted in the Animal Rescue Site’s Shelter+ Challenge. Your donations enable us to help shelters and rescue groups help more pets like Slick.
Dart was adopted thanks to a grant from the Petfinder Foundation and Orvis.
We received this grant report from Peg Zappen at Coulee Region Humane Society in Onalaska, WI. The shelter received a grant from the Petfinder Foundation and Orvis, which for the second year in a row is matching your donations to the Petfinder Foundation dollar-for-dollar up to $30,000. (Donate now and double your impact!)
Choodle
“Several dogs with special needs got boosts toward adoptability. We used grant funds for extra veterinary care that removed obstacles to adoption for these dogs.
“Dart is a 6-year-old male pug cross who is very social, loves to give kisses and had very bad breath. His teeth were so bad that adopters were reluctant to look at him very seriously. Thanks to you, lucky Dart got his very bad teeth cleaned, a tooth extracted and was neutered. He now has a sweet smile and has been adopted.
“Choodle is a male poodle/Chihuahua cross who loves to be dressed in sweaters and cuddled but sadly suffered from bad teeth and very bad breath. Choodle also benefited from having his teeth cleaned and needed dental extraction completed and was neutered. He became much more appealing and is now in his forever home.
Wyatt
“Wyatt is a male redbone coonhound — a common dog in this part of the country — surrendered because he was missing a foot. Wyatt was neutered, which is just what it took to make it easier to place him. He is now living in a coonhound-loving home.
“Sweet Maggie is an 8-year-old beagle with too many strikes against her, including epilepsy. Thanks to you, she had seven teeth extracted, improving her prospects for long-term good health. An adopter with experience with an epileptic dog saw her, saw the work that had been done for her and wanted to keep her run of good luck going by taking her home forever.
“Pee Wee is a charming, snuggly Chihuahua mix who was surrendered to us by a man who was devastated because he had accidentally hurt this dog. This gentleman was dog-sitting Pee Wee for a friend and accidentally stepped on Pee Wee’s leg and broke it. The man had dogs of his own and was not accustomed to having a small dog underfoot. He offered to pay for half of the veterinary care for Pee Wee, but the owner said Pee Wee was not worth spending money on and wouldn’t take him back. Our gentleman already had all the dogs he could manage, could not truly afford any vet care, and brought Pee Wee to us.
Maggie
“We turned to the Petfinder Foundation’s Orvis grant funds for help. A local vet x-rayed Pee Wee’s leg, found a fracture that required surgery and performed the surgery for less than $250. A vet tech is providing foster care until Pee Wee can be safely adopted out.
“These five dogs would not be in such good shape, with such good fortune and hope, without you. Thank you so very much.”
Donate today and Orvis will match your gift to help more dogs like these find forever homes!
We received this email from Lisa Napoli, shelter manager at The Long Island Feline Adoption Center in Smithtown, NY. LIFAC received a grant from the Petfinder and Boehringer Ingelheim to replace vaccines that had been destroyed during Hurricane Sandy.
“On behalf of the Long Island Feline Adoption Center, I would like to take this opportunity to thank BI and the Petfinder Foundation for awarding us this vaccination grant.
“During the storm our facility lost power, destroying the vaccines we had for our animals. These vaccines can be costly and replacing them ourselves would have been a hardship that we would have otherwise been forced to endure on our own.
“As a rescue, we know that every penny counts, so we are extremely thankful for the assistance we received.
Baby with her vaccines.
“Here are a few pictures of our cats waiting to receive their vaccines. The brown tabby is Baby, who has been at the adoption center for a few years now. She stays in the office and greets everyone who comes into our adoption center.
“The second picture is of a tabby-and-white cat named Mary-Kate. She can be shy at times but is very sweet. She is a beautiful kitty and is waiting for her perfect home.
“Thanks again for helping us in our time of need. These vaccines will be of great benefit to all of our cats and kittens here at the shelter. Now we can focus all of our efforts on getting them each good homes.”
The Petfinder Foundation‘s program assistant and resident photographer-videographer, Brody Anderson, spent last week in Tavares, FL, documenting Rescue U ‘s renovation of Lake County Animal Services. He sent back this report:
This cat at Lake County Animal Services in Tavares, FL, will enjoy a new outdoor enclosure.
“I was fortunate enough to be a part of Rescue U’s January project at Carolina Waterfowl Rescue in Indian Trail, NC, so I thought I had a good idea of what I would witness at the Tavares build. The shelter would undergo a series of improvements with the intention of enriching the lives of the pets living there. Happy, healthy pets have a much better chance of finding forever homes.
“During the course of my visit, I had the opportunity to speak with the shelter’s animal services director, Marjorie Boyd. As our conversation progressed, I began to truly understand the impact the project would have for the shelter’s pets.
Zeus (left) and his sister Princess were both adopted during the Rescue U renovation.
“Marjorie was very excited about the new meet-and-greet yard. Families will now have a chance to spend quality time with the dogs, in the sun and away from the noisy kennel environment. With their stress levels lowered, each dog will have the chance to impress adopters. The majority of the shelter dogs were well-behaved, and many knew tricks. Playing a quick game of fetch or demonstrating sit-and-stay skills could be a shelter dog’s ticket to scoring a forever home.
“Being a big fan of cats, I was dismayed to hear how many at the shelter are euthanized each year. At first glance, many cats can seem shy and distant. This can be a turnoff for families looking for a household pet. Marjorie hopes the new outdoor cat enclosures and the new playroom will go a long way toward changing this perception. She works diligently to promote cat adoption and she’s convinced these new areas will have a positive effect.
“After my discussion with Marjorie, I wandered through the kennel corridors with my camera. I came across Zeus and Princess, brother and sister Pit Bull mixes. It was sad seeming them behind the chain-link kennel gates, but thanks to your generous donations, they got the chance to run and play in the meet-and-greet yard. And sure enough, both were adopted while I was in Florida.”
Your donation to the Petfinder Foundation will help us renovate more shelters and give even more homeless pets a better quality of life and greater chance at finding forever homes.
Pets like this border collie-mix girl will benefit from Rescue U’s renovation.
The Animal Rescue Site and the Petfinder Foundation’s Rescue U is in Tavares, FL, at Lake County Animal Services from March 9-15 performing some much-needed renovations. Volunteers from Pennsylvania, Kentucky, New Jersey and Florida are rolling up their sleeves.
The adoptable dogs at Lake County Animal Services will have plenty of space to play and exercise with a new 50’x70′ exercise pen built by Rescue U volunteers.
Right now there are only two small outdoor play areas for the dogs at the shelter, which severely limits the amount of play and exercise time each dog is able to get. Rescue U is building a brand new 50’x70’ outdoor exercise pen. This will mean a significant increase in the amount of time each dog gets outside, making the dogs happier, healthier and more adoptable.
Rescue U is also making general fencing repairs throughout the shelter. Several of the cat and dog kennels are in need of repair, and the industrial perimeter fence needs to be replaced in some areas. Our Rescue U volunteers will fix this for Lake County Animal Services to make sure their kennels are safe and their perimeter is secure.
By the end of the Rescue U build, this area will include two outdoor play areas for the adoptable cats at the shelter.
The cats at the shelter are getting a special focus on this trip. Not only will their kennels be repaired where needed, but the cat room is getting a fresh coat of paint, and a mural to brighten up the mood of the room for potential adopters!
The Petfinder Foundation also ran a Groupon Grassroots campaign to help fund two outdoor cat play areas. These areas will vastly improve the quality of life of the cats at the shelter, allowing them a safe, stress-free place to stretch and play outside. This will reduce upper respiratory infections and other communicable disease and make the cats at the shelter much more adoptable.
All in all, this trip will make a huge difference for Lake County Animal Services. There is a lot of work to do in one week, but Rescue U will get the job done as always!
A cat at Lake County Animal Services in Tavares, FL
Doug Woolsey, program manager
With Rescue U, I spend a lot of time going into animal shelters across the U.S., scouting locations for renovations, volunteering my time and actually building. The majority of the time, we focus our efforts on the outside, building exercise pens, meet-and-greet areas, and making functional repairs to the building or surrounding grounds.
One thing that always strikes me whenever I go into an animal shelter is the cats. Most of the time, the cats have their own large room and it’s filled with small cages where the cats spend the majority of their time. Some shelters have a colony room that the cats can go into for a short period of time, but then it’s back to the small cage. Typically there is no natural light, poor air flow and not enough room for them to exercise. That’s why building safe, enclosed outdoor cat areas is so important.
When we did a renovation in Jefferson City, TN, at the Humane Society of Jefferson County last May, we built an outdoor cat area, and I left feeling like I had really made a difference in the lives of the cats. I have a small obsession with cats. When I go into shelters, I always look at the ferals. It’s because of them that I realize how dire the cat situation is: Seeing a cat who is used to roaming free and fending for himself trapped in a cage and terrified shows me what the other cats have resigned themselves to. When I saw the cats in Jefferson City run out into the sun and have a safe place to stretch out and relax or play, it made all the frustration and hard work that went into building that enclosed yard instantly worth every second.
On March 9-16, Rescue U is going to Lake County Animal Services in Tavares, FL, for our spring break renovation, and one of the projects we are doing is building two separate outdoor enclosures that will include cat trees, scratching posts and toys.
This is extremely important for these cats. The area where they keep the cats is small, has no natural light and is very stuffy. The new enclosures will not only allow the cats to have some outdoor time, but greatly improve their overall well-being. Melissa Enck Descant, shelter director at the Humane Society of Jefferson County, said it best: “The difference we have seen in the cats has been amazing. They are happier, healthier and more playful. Our adoption rate for kittens has also increased. People love being able to go in and interact with the kittens, helping them to find their perfect companion. Our euthanasia rate is also down thanks to how healthy everyone has been.”
For this trip we started a Groupon Grassroots Campaign to help with the cost of building the yards. Our goal was to raise $500, and the campaign ended up raising $800, meaning donors made 80 donations of $10. The wonderful thing about the program is that the donations received beyond our goal will be used exclusively for improving life for the cats at the Tavares shelter. The last Groupon Grassroots Campaign that Rescue U participated in raised more than double our goal, and thanks to our generous donors, the Humane Society of West Michigan received a much larger dog agility course and we were able to put more money into other projects for the shelter.
We have volunteers coming out from Oklahoma, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Kentucky to help with this build. I’m sure that everyone who participates in this project will get the same gratification that I did in Jefferson City when they see the cats run out into the sun, stretch their legs and enjoy the fresh air that they would not have gotten otherwise.
Charlotte, a former puppy mill breeder, was vaccinated thanks to our grant.
We got this report from Robin L. Adams, executive director and cofounder of Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue Inc. in Reinholds, PA:
“While we bring in golden retrievers and goldendoodles on an almost daily basis, we have occasion to address emergency placements.
“Last week, such an event occurred. We were contacted by our golden retriever rescue partners in Tennessee about [an emergency] situation in Arkansas consisting of golden retrievers, German shepherds, great Pyreneese, pigs and horses. The Tennessee rescue was not able to cope with a sudden influx of golden retrievers, and knowing that we can handle these situations due to our facility, Golden Gateway, we of course said yes.
“A cooperative effort between the Great Pyrenees Club and DVGRR resulted in finding transportation for 16 dogs (11 golden retrievers, five great Pyrenees) to Golden Gateway. We provided overnight housing and care for the great Pyrenees, who were then picked up the following day to be taken to a veterinarian and ultimately, foster homes.
“The ARK 11, as we called them, and 45 golden retrievers before them have been the beneficiary of 56 of the vaccines to date.
“For DVGRR, the impact of Hurricane Sandy was felt in the form of the loss of the rubber mulch we use in an exercise area devoted to puppy-mill survivors (an estimated $10,000 repair), electricity loss (vaccines destroyed) and a large pool of donors no longer able to support our efforts due to their own personal loss.
“We are extremely grateful to the Petfinder Foundation for their collective efforts to help continue rehoming of animals everywhere.”
We got this note from Meredith Fiel at Adirondack Save A Stray in Corinth, NY, which recently received a vaccination grant from the Petfinder Foundation to recover from the impact of Hurricane Sandy:
“We were able to update the 65 cats and several kittens in our cat room and kitten area. This was done as a direct result of your fabulous grant. We were able to update all of the rabies and distemper vaccines to all that needed it. We are extremely grateful. We still have leftover vaccines and because of that, we were able to take in and rescue additional cats and dogs and many have been placed into loving homes.
“Our cat room has free-roaming kitties. [Cats can spend time there] once they are vaccinated and vet-checked and all of the medical attention has been done. This cuts down on a lot of stress. Our puppies are in our puppy rooms and our older dogs are in the kitchen and adoption area and kenneled at night. We try to have a stress-free environment for all of our furbabies until they are adopted into loving and forever homes.
“Again, I want to thank you for all you have done on behalf of the animals here and everywhere. You have made many tails wag and hearts purr.”
We received this grant report from Bellowood Rescue in Cedar Springs, MI, which received an operations grant last year from the Petfinder Foundation and the Pedigree Foundation. The story has a happy ending for mama dog Twister and her pups. As Bellowood president Kimberly Schreuder tells us, “With the wonderful lifesaving grant from the Petfinder Foundation, we were able to vet and take care of Twister and her entire family, including little Iris who had a broken leg. Thank you, Petfinder Foundation!! Glad to have you on our team!”
Saving Twister: Anatomy of a Rescue By Laurel Barrick
“It was Aug. 1. The caller was clearly distraught as she described how the mother dog had sat trembling in the middle of a busy road, with cars driving around her. Her teats were swollen beyond belief, in stark contrast to her backbone and ribs showing through the skin stretched tightly over her skeleton. All the woman knew was that the dog was in Morley, near a shop where her husband had purchased some parts. She did not know the address or the cross street. She thought maybe the dog belonged to the man who owned the shop. Her husband was furious at her for calling, but she could not get the image of this mama dog shivering in the heat of day in the middle of a road out of her mind. And so she called Bellowood, the closest rescue she could find. Then, with her husband yelling at her to ‘mind your own business,’ she said she couldn’t tell me any more and she had to get off the phone.
Her teats were swollen, her body nearly skeletal.
“Aug. 2 was a frustrating day as myself and Rhonda Waldorf from Safe Haventried to find a clue to the dog’s whereabouts that we could follow. The caller said to try looking on Craig’s List for ‘lawnmower repair.’ Rhonda found a number that might be the shop and called but was told by a man that it was not his dog and he didn’t know what she was talking about.
“The next day, Aug. 3, did not start out much better. I had to call the woman back and beg her to please look up the phone number for the shop when her husband wasn’t around. We were not getting anywhere trying to locate the dog. Finally, armed with the correct phone number, Rhonda again called, and while the dog was not related to the shop at all, a man was able to tell her that he thought she might be his neighbor’s dog. He could not give a name or address, but was able to give her directions to the house where he thought the dog might be.
Nico chills on his new Chill Pad.Our partners at P.L.A.Y. (Pet Lifestyle and You) donate a Special Edition Chill Pad dog bed to a shelter pet for every Artist or Original Collection pet bed purchased (learn more here). So far they’ve given 260 homeless dogs warm places to sleep.
That includes Nico, above, and Duffy, right, at Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society in Brownsville, VT. We got this email from shelter manager Jackie Stanley:
“Please find attached pics of Nico enjoying some of his new favorite Chill Pads! Nico is a 3-year-old neutered male Pit Bull/Shepherd mix. He has gone through two surgeries to correct a torn ACL, and his Chill Pad makes his relaxing time much more comfortable.
Duffy gets comfortable.“Duffy is a 12-year-old spayed female Westie. Duffy is particularly fond of the Chill Pads since she is highly arthritic!
“All of our dogs have been thoroughly enjoying the comfort of the Chill Pad mats. We are incredibly thankful to be the recipients of this gracious grant. We work very hard to make sure all of our animals remain safe, healthy and comfortable while they’re in our care. You definitely helped to make that easier!
“Many thanks from all of us at Lucy Mackenzie Humane Society … especially Nico and Duffy!”
Thanks for the update, Jackie, and thanks to P.L.A.Y. and everyone who purchased an Artist or Original Collection pet bed for their own pet so a shelter dog could rest easier!
Elaine loves belly rubs and other dogs — and has been vaccinated thanks to our grant! All photos are by Geoffrey Tischman of Tischman Pets Photography.
Many animal shelters in the Northeast are still struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, and we continue to help. We’re giving adoption groups $1 million in vaccination grants to protect the cats and dogs in their care against common contagious diseases.
So far, we’ve given vaccination grants to 88 shelters, all impacted by Hurricane Sandy. That includes Westchester Humane Society in Harrison, NY, which received 250 doses.
Lois was also vaccinated.
Westchester Humane board director Irma Jansen tells us, “This grant was an incredible help for our shelter and we were delighted by the amount of vaccinations we received. We thank you and BI so much for making this possible!”
The shelter has vaccinated dogs like Elaine, above, and Lois, right, against bordetella (a.k.a. kennel cough), rabies and, via a single vaccination called DHPP, distemper, hepatitis, parvo and parainfluenza.
In addition, cats like Thackery (below) were vaccinated against rabies and, via an FVRCP vaccination, three of the worst viral infections affected cats: feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia, a.k.a. feline distemper.
Thackery was vaccinated against FVRCP and other diseases.
Thanks to our friends at Thundershirt, we were able to send 60 of these great shirts to Big Fluffy Dog Rescue in Hopkinton, MA.
Big Fluffy Dog’s Elizabeth Zaccaro wrote to tell us how a Thundershirt has helped a dog named Champ:
“Champ is a 1-year-old, deaf Golden Retriever-Great Pyrenees who is available for adoption through our rescue. Champ has severe anxiety issues and we have found the Thundershirt calms him. He was on medication, but it did not help him, so we are using non-medical ways to help relieve his anxiety.
“When Champ gets adopted, we will send him home with his shirt.”
Donate a Thundershirt to the shelter of your choice.
Yesterday, you learned a little about my experience renovating Carolina Waterfowl Rescue with our Rescue U team at the beginning of this month and met some of the permanent residents of CWR. Today I want to share how I learned about bird adoption and became more enamored with the idea of birds as pets.
Things to Consider Before You Adopt a Bird
I got a chance to talk with CWR director Jennifer Gordon about bird adoption and learned a huge amount. The considerations for adopting a bird are totally different than those for adopting a dog or cat. For one thing, dogs and cats are both natural predators. Most birds are considered prey animals. Knowing this one fact can change the way you look at a bird.
People often assume when meeting a bird for the first time that birds are unfriendly, when the truth is, they are naturally on the defensive until they are comfortable with you. Jennifer told me, “Most people say birds who they initially thought were unfriendly were eating out of their hands within a week.”
Furthermore, each type of bird requires a totally different type of care. Birds like parrots are very smart and require enrichment and interaction to stay happy. These are not good pets for people who are very busy and cannot spend time with their birds. Geese, on the other hand, can be left outside with proper shelter and a small pool and remain content without much human interaction. However, any bird who has imprinted on a human requires a large amount of human interaction. Watch the video above to learn the difference between imprinted, habituated and feral birds, and to hear some other considerations, such as your home’s zoning, that go into bird adoption.
Noah bonded with Rupert the duck over his two-week stint at Carolina Waterfowl Rescue.
Noah Horton, assistant director
For most of my life, I was a self-proclaimed cat person. Don’t get me wrong: I love dogs — I’ve always just sided with felines. Maybe it’s their subtle personality quirks, or the way they make you work for the relationship, or the way they fall asleep for 19 hours a day and let you stack things on top of them and take photos. Whatever the reason, that has always been a part of my identity. That is, until last week.
You see, for the first two weeks of the year, I was with our Rescue U team in Indian Trail, NC, renovating a bird sanctuary. Carolina Waterfowl Rescue takes in tame and wild birds, gives them a safe and cage-free place to live, and works to find loving homes for the adoptable birds. The only bird rescue in the state, CWR adopts out about 1,800 birds a year and houses around 200 at any given time. The birds include ducks, geese, swans, turkeys, chickens, pigeons, herons, peacocks and cockatiels. Suffice it to say, it was a big change of pace from our usual Rescue U renovations of shelters that house mainly dogs and cats.
My Experience with the Birds of CWR
This yard of ducks is a typical scene at CWR.
When I first saw one of CWR’s many yards, full of swimming, quacking and waddling ducks of all kinds, I thought, “Look, a bunch of ducks.” Sure, I could tell the difference between the mallards and the Muschovys and the domestic Pekin ducks, but within those groups, they all seemed to be clones of one another. This is what I see as the biggest challenge for bird advocates: To an outsider, individual birds’ appearances don’t make them as easy to connect with as dogs or cats. But like I said, one of the reasons I’m a cat guy is I like that I have to work for the relationship. And I could tell from watching the regular CWR volunteers interact with the birds that there was plenty of relationship to be had!
Mr. “T” the Turkey
Mr. “T” the turkey had a thing for Liz Baker, executive director of the GreaterGood Foundation.
Mr. “T” the turkey is one of the flashiest birds on the 11-acre property. A domestic breed of turkey, he imprinted on humans immediately after he hatched, and feels more comfortable around humans than other birds. He is constantly puffed up in a full-feathered display, walking around trying to impress all the volunteers and any other people on the property. He walks up to you and prances back and forth as if to say, “Aren’t I pretty?” You can tell by the way he cuddles you that he appreciates a good pet to let him know you saw him. And you can tell by the way he reacts to different people that he recognizes them and has favorites. He really had a thing for Liz Baker, executive director of the GreaterGood Foundation (which fully funded the renovation through The Animal Rescue Site), and would make his neck extra long any time she was around to show how big and tough he could be for her. Because Mr. “T” is imprinted on humans, he requires a lot of attention and is not adoptable. Instead, CWR uses him for educational purposes, bringing him to local schools and adoption events.
Rupert Huneycutt the Duck
Rupert imprinted on humans when he was born. His original family gave him a collar that he still likes to wear.
My personal favorite was Mr. Rupert Huneycutt the duck, another permanent resident. He followed the volunteers into the main shelter building every day for lunch, waddling and chatting us up with a “quack, quack, quack” the whole time. When you walk up to Rupert, he tilts his head down and to the side, so he can look at your face. This is something I never knew a bird would do, but the staff at CWR assure me birds can remember the faces of many people, and after years of no contact, will remember people they especially liked. I actually witnessed a woman who volunteered at CWR a few years ago come to visit during the renovation. I was told Mr. Fuzzy the Canada Goose had really liked her when she was a volunteer. Sure enough, when Mr. Fuzzy saw her he quickly ran to her for a pet and to say hi. I like to think Mr. Rupert liked me, and after about a week he would allow me to hold and pet him, and gave me plenty of love nibbles.
The Love Story of the Black Swans
These beautiful black swans are a mated pair and do not leave each others’ sides.
The emotional capacity of the birds is amazing. A lonely or under-stimulated bird will refuse to eat or will self-mutilate (pull his feathers out). But birds also exhibit this behavior when those they love are in trouble. There is a beautiful mated pair of black swans at CWR (swans mate for life) whose story exemplifies this. The male swan had lost his previous mate before coming to the rescue and was extremely sad. The volunteers at CWR worked hard to make sure he ate. One night, an injured female black swan was brought in. The male, in the yard, heard her cries in the main shelter building and sat outside the wall closest to the female for weeks until she was brought outside. She slept in the kennel next to him, and he would scoot close to her and talk to her all night. After another couple of weeks, they began their courtship dance (a mating ritual performed in the water where the two swans perform intricate neck and wing movements), and they are now inseparable.
By the time I left the CWR, I could recognize the birds for who they were — individuals with distinct personalities who care for each other and the humans who look after them. Most of the permanent residents of the rescue, including Mr. “T” the Turkey, Marm a Lade the Rooser, Rupert the duck and Pringles the Grey Goose, have such big personalities, they have their own Facebook pages, which I encourage everyone to take some time to visit.
Bitten By the Bird ‘Bug’
After my two weeks at CWR, birds have a big place in my heart. As CWR director Jennifer Gordon told me: “It’s kind of a bug you get. Once you start working with the birds, it’s hard to stop.” Birds connect with you the same way any pet does — you just have to learn to see the signs; it’s like learning a new language. You have to dig a little to get to the connection (like cats), but once you’re there, it’s incredibly satisfying. Birds, as prey animals, have to make a conscious decision to let you get close to them, which makes your relationship special.
The number of dedicated volunteers who work with the birds at CWR every week is a testament to the power of the birds’ personalities. CWR is a 100% volunteer-supported organization, which means that 100% of donations go directly to the care of the birds who live there. To learn more about volunteering or donating to CWR, visit them online.
As for me, I’m still a cat guy, but now I can say with confidence that I’m also a bird guy. And I really miss Rupert the duck.
What’s more, for every bottle you purchase, True-Dose will donate $5 to the Petfinder Foundation — and give you free shipping. Just enter the coupon code PETFINDER at checkout.
True-Dose Calming can help dogs and cats deal with stress caused by separation, thunderstorms, new situations and general anxiety — and it’s easy to administer: just a few drops in your pet’s food. One pet who benefited from True-Dose Calming was Chipper. Duane Jackson, president of NE Ohio Greyhound Rescue, Inc. in Perry, OH, told us Chipper’s story:
“Chipper was a newly retired greyhound. When he came into our program, he was scared to be in a new environment and cried. We gave him True-Dose Calming and he settled down and went to sleep. He often became scared whenever we took him to new places, so the True-Dose Calming helped him. He was recently adopted and his new owners used True-Dose Calming samples to help him settle in.”
The Animal Rescue Site’s Shelter+ Challenge is back with even more opportunities for shelters and rescue groups to win: more than 200 prizes and $100,000 to be given away between now and April.
Already some great groups are opening up their mail to find checks and letters from us! And there’s plenty more to come. We are extremely grateful to The Animal Rescue Site for funding the challenge every year since 2008, giving more than $1 million in grants to help hundreds of shelters and rescue groups, chosen by your votes, better care for homeless pets.
The Shelter+ Challenge is also an incredible opportunity for so many organizations to earn funds, involve their online supporters and get the word out about what they do in their communities.
Above all, voting in the challenge is fair. Some organizations, unfortunately, have tried to game the system by emailing their supporters with ways to get around the contest’s one-vote-per-day limit. But deleting cookies or refreshing your browser won’t give your group more votes — and neither will any other “secret, surefire” methods. The contest comes with all types of safeguards to ensure that only legitimate votes are counted, and efforts to cheat only damage an organization’s reputation.
So vote online daily for your favorite shelter or rescue group. There are over $100,000 in prizes to be awarded and your vote can make a difference!
Adele, as she looks today. She’s waiting for her forever home at Greater Charlotte SPCA. Learn more about adopting her here.
We have some exciting news: For the second year in a row, Orvis is matching donations to the Petfinder Foundation dollar-for-dollar up to $30,000. This means the world to pets like Adele.
Adele the day she was rescued
Adele was rescued by Greater Charlotte SPCA, which used Orvis funds to help pay for her rehabilitation. Here’s what GCSPCA president Alex Wilson told us on Dec. 27:
Several of the puncture wounds on Adele’s face were infected.
“Thank you so much for the grant. We are going to use some of the money to help Adele. Adele was found as a stray on the side of the road today. She is terribly thin and covered in bite wounds and several of the punctures in her face are badly infected.
“She currently has a 104-degree temperature from the infection caused by the bite wounds she suffered from we believe, being a bait dog. Our vet is actually fostering her because she is going to need quite a bit of care (she will live in his home).
“We do not turn these dogs away when we receive a plea. We always try to figure out how to pay after we say yes. The grant will help us to not worry as much about saying yes.”
We recently asked Wilson for an update on Adele. She told us: “Adele is a super sweet and happy girl. She is great with people, even young kids. She is actually very energetic now and loves to run and play in the yard.” One potential adoption didn’t work out; understandably, for a former bait dog, Adele has some issues with other dogs and is now waiting for the perfect home in which she’ll be the only pet.
Ethan, found riddled with shotgun pellets, was also helped by the Orvis grant.
Wilson also told us the Orvis grant helped cover the care of another cruelty case, a dog named Ethan. “Ethan was found as a stray, heartworm-positive, with a deep cut on his face and his body was full of shotgun pellets,” she said. “He is still a very sweet and happy-go-lucky guy and he is in one of our foster homes recovering as well.
“We have had a lot of medical emergency cases recently and normally we have to be careful about taking on too many at once, but the grant has allowed us to take on more than we normally could. We are incredibly grateful for your generosity.”
One of the many shelters that won grants in The Animal Rescue Site’s Shelter+ Challenge last year was the Nebraska Humane Society in Omaha. Grants Manager Alexandra Nather wrote to tell us how our $1,000 grant changed the life of one very special dog there.
Princess leaves the shelter with her new BFF.
“Being an open-admission shelter, we accept all animals, and many with special needs or circumstances have long stays with us. The following is the story of Princess, a young Pit Bull who finally found the perfect forever home after being at the shelter for five months.
“One of the biggest challenges we faced at our shelter last year was finding creative ways to handle dogs who had a long shelter stay. Princess forced our staff to think outside the box.
“She came to the shelter because her owner didn’t have the time or money to care for her. She was young, strong and out of control, but oh, so loveable. She would sit on desks, go through the trash and jump over half doors. It soon became clear that working with her in the shelter was not enough — we needed to find a way to get her off-site and exercised, both mentally and physically.
“We created a new dog-walker program called Shelter Support. Trained volunteers led teams that worked with Princess. The dog walkers scheduled times and days to take her off-site to the lake or to McDonald’s for ice cream, out to a shopping mall or a store where well-mannered dogs are allowed.
Princess relaxes at her new home.
“The new support system was a success and made all the difference for Princess and other dogs with similar issues. After five months of shelter care, a calmer and well-mannered Princess finally found her forever home (complete with one adoring little girl).
“We are most grateful to be the recipient of a $1,000 grant through the Shelter+ Challenge. Thank you for helping us care for homeless pets.”
Thanks to the Nebraska Humane Society, the Animal Rescue Site and, of course, Princess’s new family for finally giving her a castle to call home!
