The Many Rewards of Foster Care

Mary never planned on becoming a foster doggie mom but when her twelve-year-old mixed breed dog suddenly died she found herself needing to fill the missing gap.”When Lucy died, it was tragic for me. I really needed something to do, something that could occupy me and get my mind off the whole event,” states Mary with sadness in her eyes.
Her home, a smallish affair, is located in a lovely area of Texas hill country. And, clearly what the home lacks in size Mary makes up for in heart. She has been fostering dogs for almost ten years now and her current one, a little fellow that goes by the name of Tristan, is her one hundredth foster dog.
Mary continues her story, “You know, I never even thought about fostering dogs, my home is so cramped,” she states with a sweep of her arm gesturing towards the kitchen/dining room combo, “I just figured I didn’t have the room.”
Indeed, Mary’s place is petite: barely 950 square feet with a miniature eat-in kitchen, a living room, one bath, and two bedrooms, all contained within a dated mortar and brick exterior. Although the home is tiny, the exterior property is spacious. As we walk through the back door towards the enclosed one and a half acres of property Mary points out something, “Over there, is the dog pen that I built for new foster dogs. I like to put them in there when they first arrive, to get them used to the being out here before they run loose.”
We walk around the perimeter of her fenced in acreage, a good brisk walk, with Tristan following us, tail a-wagging. I can see the little guy is happy here and that brings me to the next question, “How do you keep from getting attached to the dogs?”
Mary stops and looks past the fence into the distance, “That is something I wondered about myself. I do get attached, very attached. But I guess I love them enough to give them over to good homes, sort of sending them on their way into a good future. That’s what makes it all worthwhile for me, knowing they will have a happy life, even if it is without me.” She looks wistfully down at Tristan, pats his head, and continues, “Tristan is leaving me this weekend. He has been adopted by a great family in San Antonio. They have two other small dogs for him to play with and best of all they have children. He really likes kids.”
Mary D. got started in fostering with a phone call to a local rescue agency. Within days her first dog arrived at her home, “I don’t know what I expected! I guess I thought the dog would be all bedraggled and forlorn, but happily my first dog was a gorgeous female blue heeler named Misty. She stayed with me for about three months and went on her way. I still get photos from her family. Misty is now twelve years old, the same age my Lucy was when she died.” Mary shakes her head, “When I think that if I had not been available Misty would never have reached 12 it makes me want to cry. But thank goodness she did, and hopefully she’ll live a lot longer.” Mary looks at me with a smile.
I can’t help but smile back because that is exactly what this is all about, giving a dog a chance to live its life with dignity and joy. Let’s face it, dogs need love just as much as food and water. Without it they will not flourish. Thanks to Mary and thousands of others like her, dogs who otherwise would be euthanized are reaching their full potential and are living out their lives with families that love them.

A San Antonio Duck Story

A Duck Story from the Riverwalk in San  Antonio

Michael R. is an  accounting clerk at Frost Bank and works there in a  second story office.  Several weeks ago, he  watched a mother duck choose the concrete awning  outside his window as the unlikely place to build a  nest above the sidewalk. The mallard laid ten eggs in  a nest in the corner of the planter that is perched  over 10 feet in the air. She   dutifully kept the eggs warm for weeks, and Monday  afternoon all of her ten ducklings  hatched.

Michael worried  all night how the momma duck was going to get those  babies safely off their perch in a busy, downtown,  urban environment to take to water, which typically  happens in the first 48 hours of a duck hatching.  Tuesday  morning, Michael watched the mother duck encourage her  babies to the edge of the perch with the intent to  show them how to jump off.  Office work came to a  standstill as everyone gathered to  watch.

The mother flew  down below and started quacking to her babies above.  In disbelief Michael watched as the first fuzzy  newborn trustingly toddled to the edge and  astonishingly leapt into thin air, crashing onto the  cement below. Michael couldn’t stand to watch this  risky effort nine more times!  He dashed out of  his office and ran down the stairs to the  sidewalk where the first obedient duckling, near its  mother, was resting in a stupor after  the near-fatal fall.  Michael stood out of sight  under the awning-planter, ready to  help.

As the second  one took the plunge, Michael jumped forward and caught  it with his bare hands before it hit the  concrete. Safe and sound, he set it down it  by its momma and the other stunned sibling, still  recovering from that painful leap.  (The  momma must have sensed that Michael was trying to  help her  babies.)

One by one the  babies continued to jump. Each time Michael hid under  the awning just to reach out in the nick of time as  the duckling made its free fall.  At the scene  the busy downtown sidewalk traffic came to a  standstill.  Time after time, Michael was able to  catch the remaining eight and set them by their  approving  mother.

At this point  Michael realized the duck family had only made part of  its dangerous journey. They had two full blocks  to walk across traffic, crosswalks, curbs  and past pedestrians to get to the closest open  water, the San Antonio   River, site of the  famed “River Walk.”  The onlooking office  secretaries and several San  Antonio police officers joined  in.  An empty copy-paper box was  brought to collect the babies. They carefully  corralled them, with the mother’s approval, and loaded  them in the container. Michael held the box low enough  for the mom to see her brood. He then slowly navigated  through the downtown streets toward the    San  Antonio River . The mother  waddled behind and kept her babies in sight, all the  way.

As they reached  the river, the mother took over and passed him,  jumping in the river and quacking loudly. At the  water’s edge, Michael tipped the box and helped  shepherd the babies toward the water and to  the waiting mother after their adventurous  ride.

All ten darling  ducklings safely made it into the water and paddled up  snugly to momma. Michael said the mom swam in circles,  looking back toward the beaming bank bookkeeper, and  proudly  quacking.

At last,  all present and accounted for: “We’re all together  again.  We’re here!  We’re  here!”

And here’s  a family portrait before they head outward to  further  adventures…

Like all of us  in the big times of our life, they never could have  made it alone without lots of helping hands.  I  think it gives the name of San  Antonio ’s famous “River Walk” a whole  new meaning!  Maybe you will want to share this  story with others.

Thanks to Kayla for passing this wonderful story on to me!

The Continuing Saga of Prince Chunk

Did the Fat Cat who was Prince get Chumped?

I was flagged on September 2, 2008 by fellow web blogger Chris, of Take Care of your Cats, regarding updated information on what I thought was a happy ending for dear Prince Chunk. Turns out I was wrong.

According to an August 28, 2008 article by The Associated Press the adoption paperwork is now held up due to legal wrangling and contract analyzing. Chunk’s new family the Damianis of New Jersey were ready to settle into a routine life with their new family member—until they were informed by the Camden County Shelter that the adoption agreement they signed was invalid.

Jennifer Andersch, Executive Director of the Camden County Shelter, stated that due to the nature of Prince Chunk’s notoriety both parties agreed to have an adoption agreement drawn up by legal counsel. Part of that agreement would mandate that Chunk make fund-raising appearances on behalf of the shelter.

For the Damiani family the surprise of the “invalid” adoption agreement was even more confounding when a letter they received from the shelter labeled them as Chunk’s “foster” family. This bit of news spurred the Damiani family to take their story public.

What I find interesting about the Camden Animal Shelter is a little tidbit of information located on the internet regarding the shelter’s past history. It appears that the Camden County Animal Shelter has been in the spotlight before. At least on a local level.

In 1997 this shelter, located in Blackwood, New Jersey, was operated by a group that went under the name, Humane Society of Southern New Jersey. The director was Glenn McCleery and the organization itself was headed by Richard Perr, Esq. of Tineman, Krektsein & Harris, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who headed the shelter from its inception.

In 2002 the shelter was charged by the New Jersey SPCA for illegally providing shelter animals for experimentation, a practice known a “pound seizure.” Veterinary students from the local Camden college were provided with these animals to “practice” on. The college would order a certain number of animals of specific size, weight and species. The shelter would “fulfill” the order by slating these animals for euthanasia (regardless of the animal’s health condition or its adoptability).

“As reported in Compassion for Camden’s Winter 2002 UPDATE, in April and August of last year the Humane Society of Southern NJ (humane society) allowed a number of animals to be removed from the Camden County Animal Shelter to be used by Sound Technologies as test subjects for hands-on equipment training and sales. The company-sponsored seminars stretched over a period of days at the Cherry Hill Clarion Hotel.”

The practice was uncovered by Marion Churchill, founder and president of Compassion for Camden. It was then reported to the New Jersey SPCA who in turn conducted is own investigation*.

On July 24, 2004 the NJ SPCA formerly filed suit in Camden County Superior Court charging the management of the Camden County Animal Shelter, the Humane Society of Southern New Jersey, the Camden County College, shelter director Glenn McCleery, college staffer Maragaret Dorsey and various others with animal cruelty - the use of shelter animals for experimentation - a crime of the fouth degree. (read more..)

Thankfully as of September 1, 2004, Perr and the Humane Society of Southern New Jersey were no longer involved with the Camden County Animal Shelter. The Animal Welfare Society took over the operation of the shelter that same day.

According to Marion Churchill, when the shelter was under the direction of the Humane Society of Southern New Jersey, 60% of dogs and 80% of cats were killed. She states that the shelter’s inaccessible operating hours were partly responsible, since it was only open one evening a week and closed on Sundays and holidays. She continues to state that no other shelter in the state had such a poor record. Yet, when she approached Richard Perr about these sad numbers his email response was,” … the shelter continues to be one of the premier facilities in the state …” Marion Churchill concludes, “Frankly, I don’t know what ever prompted Perr to use the word ‘continues’ because I don’t recall the shelter to ever be ‘premier’.”

This news never reached those of us who live in other areas of the country but I am certain that locals were stunned and horrified when evidence was revealed that an organization containing the word “humane” turned out to be inhumane. And although the shelter’s current management has a wonderful record of decreasing euthanasia and increasing adoptions, its past may not be completely forgotten. This might explain why people like the Damiani family are suspicious about the shelter’s motives regarding Prince Chunk.

Indeed, Prince Chunk has proved to be quite a windfall for the county shelter placing it in the public spotlight—this time on a national level. From the shelter’s perspective Chunk provides the perfect opportunity to educate and enlighten people about the plight of homeless pets. Furthermore, his touching story may help the shelter receive much needed revenue in the form of donations. Certainly that is as it should be. Shelters are donation motivated and it’s not uncommon for them to capitalize on free publicity.

However, a humane shelter’s primary focus is to place its healthy pet population with loving families. To withhold an animal from receiving a permanent home due to its “fame” is not exactly within the interest of the animal. And this type of action places the shelter’s needs, and the “greater good” of other animals, above that of Prince Chunk. The Damianis need to know that this cat is indeed going to remain Prince of their home. And Chunk needs to become a permanent member of a family who obviously has his best interest at heart.

*A hard copy of the report, including names of witnesses, is available to the
public via the Open Public Records Request Application (OPRA).]

Contact Camden County Administration 856-225-5354
http://www.state.nj.us/dep/opra/forminfo.html
County Administration 856-225-5354 mlonetto@camdencounty.com

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