Letter To The Editor

I care deeply about Cocheco Valley Humane Society and all the work they do for animals in the Seacoast community. I don’t like seeing people bad mouth them. As is the case with animal shelters, people think that all animals in the shelter would be better off in a home, not in a kennel…regardless of the home. Last summer an elderly woman tried to adopt a dog at Cocheco and realized that the adoption prices had been raised since the last time she was there and she did not want to pay the adoption fee. She wanted the dog, but thought the initial cost to adopt a dog was outrageous. The adoption fee of $250 is a drop in the bucket compared to what a responsible owner would pay over the course of a pets life. So this woman created a whole media circus and got a lot of people involved. Many people were upset with CVHS. Here are some examples of what Fosters printed:

http://fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100721/GJNEWS_01/707219864

http://fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100722/GJNEWS_01/707229669

It then was revealed that she couldn’t even adopt a dog because her landlord wouldn’t allow it.

http://fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100728/GJNEWS_01/707289961

In essence, she created all this drama and bad press for Cocheco and couldn’t even adopt a a dog. Terrible.
Fast forward to February 22, 2011 and another article about CVHS is in the papers…again with negative press:

http://fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110222/GJNEWS_01/702229936

I kind of got mental about it for a bit and then decided to put my knowledge of Cocheco to good use and wrote a letter to the editor at Fosters and it got printed!

To The Editor:

I was dismayed to read another article about CVHS’s “adoption denial.” Portraying CVHS in anything less than a positive light is a disservice to the animals in their care, the staff and volunteers, and the mission of the shelter. While this article hasn’t garnered as much public outcry as last summer’s adoption cost story, it isn’t the type of press that the shelter needs or deserves.

I have volunteered at CVHS for over a year and would love to adopt all the animals there, but know this wouldn’t benefit my pets nor would it help the animals at CVHS. Adoption guidelines are in place to make sure animals and potential adopters are a match. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring that potential adopters have the means to provide a loving, caring home for the animal’s entire life, verifying animals currently in the home are compatible to the animal they want to adopt, and making sure that animals are up-to-date on all vaccinations, micro-chipped, and spayed/neutered.

These guidelines are not “hubris” on the part of CVHS. They are making sure that every animal adopted has the best chance of finding their forever home and, in the case of requiring spay/neuter, to help reduce pet overpopulation. It is unfortunate to see owner’s returning animals because they did not meet their expectations or bringing in unwanted litters of kittens/puppies. CVHS then steps up, provides shelter and care for these animals, and does so with compassion not arrogance.

Currently, there are four cats that have been at CVHS since January/February 2010 (Betty, Precious, Star, and Hershey) and two dogs that have been at CVHS since August/October of 2010 (Jake and Denny). I am certain that the staff wants nothing more than to find them homes, but adopting them out for the sake of getting them adopted would be irresponsible for everyone involved and doesn’t align with CVHS’s mission.

I am a strong supporter of CVHS and was disappointed to see another article that doesn’t benefit their cause. I would love to see more articles about the animals available for adoption. Foster’s used to post a “Pet of the Week” and hasn’t done so since September 2010. The animals listed above would make amazing pets for the right home. Foster’s should help spread the word about available animals and the positive things CVHS does in our community. If you can’t adopt, I strongly recommend filling out an application to volunteer at CVHS. Trust me, there is nothing like getting a big sloppy kiss from Rowan (available for adoption) just because you took him for a walk and gave him a good scratch behind the ears.

Kate Bedford
Dover NH

I don’t know that it will do any good, people will complain no matter how hard you try to show them the right way. I’m happy that it got included though. Maybe, just maybe, it will get one of those cats or dogs adopted…or better yet, all of them!!!

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I can't do interfere with what I can do." ~ Edward Everett Hale

Nature Walk with My Boy

Despite almost being abducted by creepy snowmobilers (in my head), Ollie eating something gross and rolling in mud, it was the perfect start to a long weekend. Also found my new favorite spot in Dover...when said snowmobilers are not there

Nicknames

I have had pets all my life and have always given them nicknames. They tend to deviate to the ridiculous as time goes on. It’s a thing. I’ve done it forever. It is a part of my relationship with animals. So when other people I know don’t really have nicknames for their dog/cat/rabbit/gerbil/goat…it’s just kinda feels “off.” It’s not that I think people that don’t have pet nicknames don’t care as much, it’s just that they don’t seem as invested…and maybe that’s just me.

 

I put a lot of time and effort into picking names for two of my pets, Sofia and Ollie. Luigi came with that name and anyone that knows him, sees how perfect it is. The hair piece wouldn’t work with any other name. I did think long and hard before naming Sofia (formally Raquelle) because I needed her to have an equally Italian name to match her brother. It only seemed right. Sofia actually means wisdom which is funny because I’ve been told she is “simple.” I disagree of course. She’s the smartest of the bunch, avoiding all the hustle and bustle of Luigi and Ollie’s antics. Ollie (formally Slim Jim) needed a new name immediately. I couldn’t have a dog that made me want to run to the Store 24 all the time and go all Macho Man Randy Savage on the snack aisle. Ollie (Oliver when he is being particularly naughty) just came to me when I was thinking of other names. It worked. His floppy ears and little strut make it work even better and I have no idea how to explain why. It just does.

 

They all started with the names that I gave them, but have all morphed into a lengthy list of pet names I have given them thru the years. In my opinion, pet names show a sense of love from owner to animal, an understanding of the pets best and worst qualities, their quirks, their physical characteristics, etc. They also tend to show the particular level of batshit insanity that any particular owner has related to animals/the world…and with that I give you “my list”

 

Ollie:

Oll, Olla, Fluffy, Fluff, Floof, Floofie, Floofer, Floofita (a personal favorite right now), Naughty, Asshole (to follow the phrase “You’re being an…”), Little Bud, Buddy, Bud, Little Boy, Baby Boy, Ollie Bear,  Bear

 

Luigi:

Luge, Lugee, Luga, Luga Bear, Bear, Rusty (which started after he stuck his head under the sink and got rust on his white fur, the name stuck, thankfully, the rust did not), Little Boy, Rusty Bear, Stinky Butt

 

Sofia:

Sofi, Sof, Sofala, Feef, Feefala, Feefer, Fifi, Feeeeeeef, Little Girl, Pretty Girl, The Favorite (I would never actually pick a favorite, but she tends to the least amount of annoying things)

 

To be continued…as nicknames/new pets (haha) are added!

 

Dexter

Dexter is the kind of dog I fall in love with the minute I lay eyes on him...meaning he's a pit bull. I LOVE pit bulls. He happens to be pint sized and super snuggly which only helps his chances of me falling for him. Ollie will forever have my heart, but when I see a new pit bull at the shelter, I want them, immediately. Lately, it seems I'm falling in love with some new little snuggle buddy almost every weekend. This makes me sad. People aren't giving up their dogs, they are giving up pit bulls and many of them end up hanging at the shelter for the long haul. I'm hoping Dexter gets adopted soon, but I wouldn't be upset if he was there next weekend...for my own selfish reasons.

Piss Factory

The winter after I adopted Ollie was when my cats got real mad at me. Spitefully so. There was a new kid in the house that barked and chased them and got violently ill in the form of diarrhea and vomit all over their house. Needless to say, Luigi and Sofia felt it was their God given right to shit where they pleased, lick themselves incessantly to create huge puke fur balls and deposit them wherever they thought I would step barefoot. And then there was the peeing...

While I was never a fan of cleaning up poop and puke, it was pretty easy and I was getting pretty good at it with Pukey McShitsalot shacking up at 33 Bellamy Woods. In fact, I should have bought stock in Nature's Miracle, Resolve, and Bounty Paper Towels. I used them a lot...and by a lot I mean twice daily, minimum. The problem was the pee. I have a fairly sensitive sense of smell, something that I clearly did not inherent from my father. I can smell cat pee with an accuracy that is disturbing. At some point, one or both of my cats took it upon themselves to show me just how pissed they were at me, literally. They peed on the floor in my bedroom and I cleaned it up, like I said, I was getting good at it. This should have been the end of the story, but if you have ever dealt with cat piss in carpets you probably know that it has a way of coming back around once if not twice.

Very shortly after the cats peed on the floor, the snow and ice started to back up on my roof. This created ice dams and eventually created leaking into my bedroom. The leaking roof water mixed with the pee carpet and created a smell unlike any other. My dad happened to be staying at my condo the weekend that this all went down and apparently did not smell the pee. I came home from visiting Lisa in DC and smelled it as soon as I opened the door. It was gag inducing and the carpet had to go, so my mom and I ripped up a section of my bedroom carpet and threw it out. Problem solved right? Not so much...

Fast forward two winters later and the ice dams have returned. It leaked in my living room windows, in my bedroom, and in the spare bedroom...and of course there was pee in the carpets in their too. Probably from Ollie when he was little, but it doesn't smell any better than cat piss. I tried to put my dehumidifier in the room to soak up the water and turned up the heat a little to hopefully draw out the moisture. This was probably the worst possible idea I could have come up with. Not only did the dehumidifier not soak up anything from the carpet, but the heat basically baked the pee and made it hot enough to spread the scent. I came home to another gag inducing piss smell and am now hanging out with all the windows open. It's a piss factory over here and business is booming

When I Really Think About It...

He's kinda the most beautiful little boy ever...

Dog Tip # 1

Always, ALWAYS check potential poop bags for holes prior to going on walks...trying to fashion a torn grocery bag into a poop sling while old ladies glare at you and their lawn is embarrassing and...messy