One of 62!

So this past weekend, including Friday, the SPCA did 62 adoptions! We are all so thrilled for all of the animals who found wonderful homes. A big thank you to the Charlottesville-Albemarle community (and the Fairfax community since several adoptions took place at an offsite outing we regularly do at Wylie Wagg in Fairfax), the SPCA staff and our wonderful volunteers. You may already know Braveheart and Henry were adopted (and both are doing wonderfully!), so here's a little info on a sweet cat who luckily found a great home from her spot at Purrin at Pantops:

This is a picture of the cat Tony that was adopted at Purrin' yesterday. He is on a special diet due to a skin condition. (When he came in his skin had big ol' blotches and a lot of missing hair. He is obviously much better now...and gorgeous!) It turns out that the wonderful woman who adopted him already had another cat on the same diet, so Tony will fit right in with his new family and his new home. Here's to luck and pluck!

There's No Shame in Being FIV Positive!

GET THE FACTS ON FIV

(Feline Immunodeficiency Virus):

FIV is a lentivirus (or "slow virus") that eventually breaks down a cat’s immune system. It CANNOT be spread to humans or to any animal other than cats, and it is not easily spread between cats either. It’s typically transmitted when "tomcats" carrying the virus attack and bite other cats who can’t get away or don’t want to fight back. So it ends up that that these FIV infected cats tend to be the sweetest cats of all because they’re the lovers, not the fighters.

Casual contact between cats (playing, sharing litter boxes or food/water) does not spread the virus. Healthy cats can live healthily and happily with FIV infected cats.

Most FIV infected cats show no symptoms for years and can have a good quality of life with the same care a regular cat needs to remain healthy: housing them indoors, spaying/neutering, feeding a nutritionally balanced diet, stress management and regular vet visits.

These cats just happen to have test results that they cannot control but they need love just like anyone else. Let’s all spread the word about FIV and find these cats the loving homes that they deserve. Don’t let fear of the unknown keep you, or anyone, from finding a wonderful companion!

The Legend of Lazarus

Rick Moore responded to my request for “happy endings” with this touching tribute: “My dog came from the nearby Nelson SPCA (Almost Home Pet Adoption Center). He is a Plott Hound who wandered into the yard of an AHPAC board member. He was bloody and beaten with deep scratches across the left half of his face, a broken tail, Lyme's disease and more. He was cared for by the Nelson animal lovers but ended up with a partially amputated tail, blind left eye, a damaged nose, poor hearing, scars and a deep fear of loud noises. A close friend fostered him and named him Lazarus, returned from near-death. My friend knew I would love him upon meeting him, and she was right. Despite his poor hearing Lazarus always hears the food filling the bowl and the front door jingle for a walk down the road. He still fears loud noises and very rarely barks (yes he's a hound) but walks up to everyone with hope of having his ears scratched. He also prefers to sleep on an elevated cushion - the sofa or the bed - a prince with no pea to bother his snoring. Fortunately for me I can snore more loudly. The "Legend of Lazarus" is that this Plott Hound lost his battle with the bear, but found happiness in his current home. Thanks to all my friends at AHPAC and CASPCA for their work, their love and helping make this happen for myself and so many others.”

Thanks Rick for rescuing Lazarus and for making his special needs a part of your life!

Poppy's Life Will Be A Bed of Roses....if you help!

Poppy is about six weeks old and weighs just 2 pounds and might be the cutest kitten here! He came into the SPCA on June 21st as a sad stray with an obvious injury to his left front leg - it was just dangling uselessly. Dr. Emily Beichel did x-rays and a thorough exam and found no fracture. He also had no pain response upon manipulation of the leg. Her conclusion was that Poppy had radial nerve damage - meaning the main nerve in his leg was damaged and Poppy could never use it. So Dr. Beichel performed an amputation of the leg. Now he is as perfect as the flower he is named after - and he will bring great joy into your life. He needs a brief period of rehabilitation and then he'll be available for adoption. I've spent some time with Poppy - and he is a loving and feisty boy. Three legs will do just fine for him, so long as he has a lap to cuddle in and a home to play in.

Please consider donating to help animals such as Poppy and the life-saving work we do to help the smallest injured animals too!

Some wheels bring new hope for our Hope

Hope, whose original story is below, needed something fresh to give her a new start. After one leg amputation and with her other leg still injured, she was not progressing in her recovery and seemed to be quite depressed. Dr. Beichel, our veterinarian, was not ready to give up on this girl with all she had been through. So out of her own pocket, she bought Hope a set of wheels to help her walk again. Hope is actually expected to walk on her own with three legs; however, she needed a bit of a push to get her going. And hopefully her wheels will be just that. Keep checking in to learn about Hope's recovery.

My name is Laura Jones, and I am the new volunteer coordinator at the Charlottesville - Albemarle SPCA. I'll be a new voice on this blog, and my plan is to share stories and thoughts about our animals and the people who care for them. I was talking with one of our long time volunteers yesterday about the pleasures of adopting a special needs dog. (The same would apply to cats, but our conversation centered on dogs.) While not every dog is right for every family, and vice versa, I would like to make a plea for the deep meaning that adopting a special needs dog can give to your life. The joy of helping a shy dog overcome its fear and be more social is amazing. The feeling of fulfillment that adopting a dog with manageable medical issues can give you is deep and lasting. The sense of accomplishment you can get, and share with your dog, when you successfully help an unfocused or headstrong dog learn to follow your lead is life changing. Any relationship, whether with a person or an animal, leads to change and growth. The bigger the challenge, the bigger the reward. Dogs with special needs are wonderful animals with their own unique view of the world that can enrich ours. They just need someone to care and take the reins. Nothing happens overnight, but if you're willing to take the trip into the future with one of our more unique animals, you'll be enriched and rewarded in ways you didn't think possible. And if you take the chance, we're here to help.

Henry, pictured here, our older beagle who snuffles and snores like a bulldog, or a truffle hunting pig, is just one of our loveable and wonderful special needs dogs. We could barely take the photo because he was so energetic and cuddly!

Have you adopted a dog or cat who has changed your life, caused sacrifices but proved worth it in every way? Share your story with me at volunteer@caspca.org and I'll post it here. Thanks!

Dog Days of Summer

It's the Dog Days of Summer at the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA! And to celebrate we're offering a very special deal on some very special dogs during the entire month of July. All adult dogs 35 pounds and over are available for adoption at a reduced price of $50. Cool off with a fabulous new companion!

(Thanks to fabulous volunteers Ester Rosa and Gregory Brun for this great shot of Parker showing Alexie how to use the pool.)