My ambitious goal for the holiday season...get folks to adopt a pet! Of course, only if you have the time, room, financial means, a general soft spot for fuzzy little animals and a little extra love that you are willing to shell out.
So I was having a pumpkin carving/welcome home/Sunday Night Football/ BBQ party a few weeks back when these two random German Shepherds crashed the party...sounds like a joke I know. These two beautiful dogs were lost, tired, scared, hungry, and seemingly happy to be around people. They had collars on but no tags and ended up staying the night with us.
The next day, we went around putting up signs, calling shelters, lost and found centers, etc. to no avail.
The dogs were so sweet. The male German Shepherd was caring and protective of the female and constantly checked in with her to make sure she was okay. As they started to relax around us their gorgeous personalities came out. They were big, playful, loving, and ridiculously good on a leash! They chilled in our backyard, followed us around whenever we were outside, didn't bark, and loved having their ears scratched.
Hoping that they might be chipped, and abiding by the law as well, we took them to the South Central Los Angeles Animal Shelter. As soon as we walked into the shelter everyone stopped and marveled at how beautiful and well behaved the dogs were. They ran the scanner over the dogs and to everyone's delight they were chipped! Thinking that we were leaving the two Shepherds for their owners to pick up we went to leave. But seriously? Who can walk into a shelter and then out without an animal in tow? It was absolutely heart breaking walking past all of the caged cats and dogs, puppies and kittens knowing that more than 70% of them would be killed by the end of the week.
We ended up bonding with two kitten (and don't judge me for picking a kitten over a grown cat) or rather they bonded with us...picked us more likely. Then again, it seemed like every animal in the joint was calling to us. The two kittens we wanted wouldn't be available for two more days so off we went to wait. The man said that on the day they would be available on a first come, first serve, basis but not to worry, we wouldn't have any problems getting them. Good for us and the kitties, bad for every other animal in there.
I immediately went home and started looking up kittens and how to take care of them and trying to figure out what kind of cat they might be. I was so excited to have to have kittens for the first time and also to get them out of the shelter as soon as possible.
The day they were available, I woke up early like it was Christmas morning and drove to the shelter and sure enough, there they were! Unfortunately for the German Shepherds that we brought in, the owner didn't want them back so they were still there. We took our kitten up to be neutered and then paid a visit to the dogs. They were so happy to see us it crushed me that we couldn't take them home ourselves because of the amount of travel we both do. We started calling around again to see who could possibly foster them, adopt them, rescue them and it just seemed like everyone was already full and/or over capacity. Sad and feeling helpless, we left to wait for our kitties with a hope and a prayer that someone would adopt the two dogs.
Finally it was time to pick up our newest family members!
I love our little gatitos (kittens in Espanol) so much I could eat them. In the most loving and affectionate way possible of course. Wait, maybe I shouldn't say that since I'm Asian. Whoops.
Anyway, we waited a couple of days to name them so we could see what their personalities were like. Unfortunately they both ended up with a bad case of kennel cough for the first few days so there was a part of me that was worried they wouldn't make it! But a trip to the vet and a few doses of antibiotics and the kitties are good as new.
We named the short haired one Zeppa. She is fiesty, fast, curious, loves to play fetch, has this hysterical wonky side ways horse trot, and is practically a dog. The fur ball, we named Amira (Arabic for princess) because that is just what she is. A fierce little warrior princess that will destroy whatever toy you give her after she studies it for five minutes and then cry for you to pick her up and hold her.
They are lovely, happy, sisters that play well together for hours on end. There is now constant random entertainment and a permanent smile on my face for how wonderful these two kitten are.
So back to the dogs, the male Shepherd Rocky was adopted. We were thankful that at least one of the dogs was adopted even though that meant splitting the two up and leaving the female at the shelter alone. She was so gentle when we found them, but now that she doesn't have Rocky to protect her, she is scared and skittish, and has had a "Do Not Approach" attached to her. She was supposed to be euthanized on Tues but we managed to get it extended until the end of day on Thurs with the hopes that someone would adopt her.
Surprisingly, the people at the pound told us that pet adoptions actually slow down significantly around the holidays. Many people who choose to get a pet for a child during this time of year prefer to go to high price breeders instead of rescuing a perfectly healthy pet from one of the shelters. Ironically recent estimates show that over 20% of all animals in the shelters are actually purebreds. That's right, you can get a purebred for $100 instead of paying $400-$1,000 AND be saving the life of an animal in the process. Thrift and elitist adoption, all rolled into one big ball of kindness. Nifty.
If you can't figure out what to get someone, or even yourself, for Christmas, adopt a pet. Or, if you're Jewish, adopt eight! One for each crazy night! They are beautiful animals with no homes and tons of love to give. The amount of joy that they have already brought into my household is immeasurable and I think lots of people would find the same amount of joy in rescuing one of their own.
And on a different note, if you aren't trying to breed your pets or have a personal issue against it, think about getting your pets spade/neutered. A lot of the animals in the shelters are abandoned family pets or the offspring of family pets. You can help reduce pet overpopulation in the U.S. and in effect lower the amount of animals that are euthanized yearly.
Anyhoo, just something to think about with the holidays fast approaching.
Tomorrow morning I'll be checking in one last time to see if anyone has saved the female German Shepherd from a sad fate; one she doesn't deserve and would only be receiving because her original owner was too irresponsible and too selfish to do a proper job as a pet owner.
Raising a pet is a responsibility that takes care and commitment, but the love and benefits you receive from those animals will touch the heart of just about anyone.
Love and Peace...
