Shasta Thanks -- Creatures Great and Small!!!

Shasta was a stray brought into the SPCA by an Animal Control officer.   He was pretty matted, so much so that he was probably not feeling great.  Severe matting can be very uncomfortable for a dog.  You can tell just by the pictures that Shasta is a much happier dog.   The SPCA and Shasta send our thanks to Louise and Katie at Creatures Great & Small for once again helping out the SPCA animals.    This is not the first time Katie and Louise have helped out.   Time after time, Katie and Louise have helped out the SPCA by grooming some of our most difficult cases.   One time we had two dogs that came to us in such bad shape that they worked four hours on each dog, cleaning, shaving, bathing, etc... Katie and Louise are great friends of the SPCA and we are so thankful for what they have done for SPCA animals in need.  THANK YOU!!!   Creatures Great and Small is a dog boarding and grooming establishment right down the street from the SPCA on Berkmar Drive.  

Rabies Clinic Was a Big Success!

On Sunday, September 27th, the SPCA hosted its annual rabies vaccine clinic, for the first time at our facility. It was a spectacular success thanks to our great staff and volunteers. They administered a total of 270 vaccines to our community's dogs and cats.

This Must Be What A Barn Raising Feels Like!

Thanks to the United Way Day of Caring on Wednesday, September 23rd, volunteers from organizations all over town came to help out the animals at the SPCA. It was amazing - we had 10 groups here doing 13 projects and over 100 people. They accomplished so much with such amazing attitudes! They donated time and energy and in some cases money for the materials for their projects. A big, heartfelt thank you to each of the following organizations and their wonderful employees:

The UVA Recreation Department improved our trails 1,000%.

The State Farm Fur Brigade did some major inside cleanup and decorated our cat areas.

Blue Ridge ESOP Associates painted some very tired looking walls.

The UVA Health System Development Office built us some gorgeous garbage cans and signs and cleaned and organized our dog harnesses and collars.

The UVA Heath System Transplant Center created and installed poop bag dispensers.

The Virginia Transportation Research Council spared some people for the day to make videos of the day and help us create instructional videos on dog walking.

The Darden School folks spruced up the SPCA Rummage Store.

Union Bank and Trust gave our cats some much needed attention.

State Farms Paws for Cause walked some very happy dogs and did some landscaping.

Sperry Marine brought their engineering skills and strong backs to fixing and organizing our animal crates and landscaping around the area.


And stay tuned for the video! Seriously....

31 Adoptions on Saturday and Sunday!

We're doing backflips at the SPCA! Well, we would if we could. Most of us aren't that limber. But we are happy - 31 adoptions on Saturday and Sunday alone! Dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens all found great homes.

We still have lots to choose from here and many cats and kittens are available for fostering.

A big thanks to our community for opening their hearts to our wonderful animals this weekend, and to the staff and volunteers who made it happen.

Dogs of All Breeds at Foods of All Nations

This Sunday, September 20th, we'll be at Foods of All Nations. (Directions at www.foodsofallnations.com) They are hosting a festival of foods from 11am - 3pm where vendors and departments of the store showcase new and special products and offer samples. We'll have a couple of adoptable dogs there and we'll be raffling off a donated Victoria Dye photograph. Please join us for this fun event. And you can head over to the SPCA afterwards to see some great cats and kittens! (We're open 12-6pm Sunday and every day.)

The Story of Little Mo

When Little Mo (officially named Morgan) came to the SPCA about a month ago as a stray, he was so wild and scared he tried to bite everyone who came near him. He was covered in ticks too. He was too scared to be walked on a leash, and he growled if you came near him. We thought he might be feral, his mistrust of people was so deep. But, after a few weeks of patient love and a lot of hot dogs, he learned people aren't so bad. Each day he got better and better. In the beginning, if you did anything new to him, he still wanted to bite. But he finally warmed up and became a sweet, fun, normal dog. He had just had a really hard time of it for a while, probably living in the wild and only meeting people who were not so nice to him. He still seemed to fear other dogs, but he was also geting better with that. So today, here's what happened when he met Jules. Little Mo is the darker brown one.

Hope Was Adopted!

For those of you who have followed Hope's story (her walking, her "wheels", and her arrival at the SPCA), we have big news....Hope was adopted last week! And to a wonderful family who is kind enough to add this post-adoption report by e-mail:

"I thought I'd just send a quick e-mail about Hope and her new family. Like many dogs, she is still getting used to everything; in fact, I think the happiest she has been was when we took her to her first vet appointment! She seemed happy to be around the Veterinarian and his assistant! I think she had a good experience at the SPCA :) Getting her to walk on a leash is tricky, but if we take her somewhere in the car though, that's another story! If we take her to a park, she will leash walk like the best of dogs. But if we just try to get her to go potty and take her through our neighborhood, she is a little stubborn about it. (Well, she is a hound – one of their more loveable traits is that stubbornness, don’t you think?!) Other than that, she seems pretty happy. Slowly but surely the cats are warming to her. We have discovered her habit of "nesting" and find it amusing although a tad destructive :)

Thanks!

Jessica Utley "

Way to go Jessica and a big thanks to her and her husband and all our adopters for giving a happily ever after to Hope and those like her!

Some Action Shots of Our Dogs....

Thanks to dog walking volunteer Pam and her husband for these great shots of Van, Sammy Hagar and Betsy - three pretty cool hounds who'd love to spend this fall at your house! And every season, come to think of it.....

More from Boscoe Red, an SPCA alum!

And we continue Boscoe Red's tale....


About a year later, Boscoe (on left in photo) and I received Military Orders as I was still in the Marine Corps at the time. So we packed our bags and moved to southern Virginia. It wasn’t long until we decided to adopt a husband, and it wasn’t long until said husband decided we should adopt a second dog. But we had to be picky about this new sibling; Boscoe Red is quite a character with plenty of personality to boot. I went back to PetFinder.com, and six months later, we found Sue. A scared, skinny, and insecure little female with sky blue eyes, who we believe to be part Whippet; part Australian Shepherd…maybe Border Collie, your guess is as good as any. With Boscoe’s confidence and outgoing personality, it wasn’t long until he brought out the best in Sue, who we renamed Dia Sue. She watches him perform tricks and follows suit; he’s the perfect role model. They are inseparable and our small family is finally complete.
Two years ago, Boscoe Red and Dia Sue (or more commonly known around our house as The Boss and The Princess) and Julian (my husband) and I moved across country and now live in southern California. We enjoy camping several times a year and hiking as often as possible. Boscoe’s learned to be quite the swimmer with those stubby, little legs, and him and Dia Sue still own our bed at night. They have more toys than I have pairs of shoes; some might say they’re spoiled, but in our defense…they’re just well-loved.
As I stated before, I don’t know what inspired me five years ago to “see about a dog”, but I hope my story inspires others to check out their local shelter and humane society for their new pet. Military Orders and cross country moves, along with many other bumps in the road, have never separated me and my boy and never will. Boscoe Red celebrated his sixth birthday on May 1st of this year and I’m hoping to celebrate many, many more with him. He is my best friend and the only living thing I know brave enough to keep my stinky feet warm at night. To the CASPCA Staff and Volunteers; “One million thank yous!” and to Boscoe Red, when you finally learn to read; “I love you, baby boy!”
Sincerely,
Hilary Cisneros, “Proud Purebred Mutt Owner”

P.S. I still carry the CASPCA business card with his ID# D-3-96 in my wallet.

Buy Art and Benefit the SPCA!

Art Show for SPCA Opens at BozArt this Friday, September 4th

Local artist Ucky Light and BozArt Gallery will present “Surfaces,” an art show to benefit the animals of the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA. The public is invited to a special opening of “Surfaces” on this Friday, September 4th, at BozArt from 5:00-9:00 p.m. The show remains open to the public throughout the month of September, and from September 4th-27th Light will donate 15% of all proceeds from sales of her paintings to the SPCA. BozArt Gallery is located on the Downtown Mall at 211 W. Main.

To learn more about BozArt and view samples of Ms. Light’s work, please visit www.bozartgallery.com.

And Now, A Word From A Satisfied Customer!

A story in two parts from Hilary Cisneros:

I have to be honest; I don’t remember what inspired me to get a pet back in 2004. All I remember is discovering PetFinder.com one day. I don’t remember what made me decide to input “Dog” when prompted on the site to “Select Animal”. I didn’t specify the size, breed or gender ... I just clicked “Search” and every day for the next four months, that’s all I did. I searched for hours, looking at pictures of dogs at local shelters and humane societies, reading profiles . . . but so many choices, so many dogs! “Who could decide?!?” I thought. Until I found the one! Short, stocky and with the stubbiest of legs, “Red”, a one year old, red, male Corgi mix. My heart was all a flutter!! I picked up the phone, called the humane society which happened to be this very Charlottesville - Albemarle SPCA... "Hey, I watch Animal Cops, they’re all SPCAs!” and asked if Red was still available and when I could come and meet him.
This was on a Monday and by Tuesday; I was walking up to his kennel. Would you believe I was completely nervous going to meet him for the first time? But once I saw this little furball of energy standing only one foot tall at the withers and jumping high enough to look me in the eye when I’m 5’2”, I had to laugh! The butterflies disappeared. After watching him run around in the play area of the SPCA, the staff person and I walked him back to his kennel and she turned to ask “So what do you think?” I could barely contain myself long enough to reply “When can I take him home?”
It was a Saturday, May 1st, 2004 when I went back at the CASPCA to pick up Red, who I renamed Boscoe Red. On the two hour car ride back home, he laid his little head on my lap and fell asleep.
Skip ahead to the third month of being a new pet owner. Housetraining complete: Check; New toys, bed, crate, water/food dishes, leash and collar to compliment his red coat: Check; Realizing that I no longer own the bed at night: Check; Driving home from work just a little too fast everyday so I can see his Corgi smile and wagging tail greet me at the door: Check! Hey he’s even learned new tricks like Sit, Come, Lay Down, Shake, Roll Over, Stand, Sit Pretty (with front paws in the air), Jump, and Speak (self-taught). What a smart boy I have and PHEW! Pets are a lot of work but they’re worth every second of it. From “Cry on me, Mommy, my fur is super absorbent” to “Bark-Bark-Bark, there’s another cat outside, Bark-Bark-Bark!” to every slobbery, doggie breath kiss on Saturday mornings...they are so worth it.

TO BE CONTINUED.....