Cats Were My Gateway Drug

Anybody that loves animals and loves having pets has one animal that probably started the downward spiral into an apartment/condo/house/street corner filled with pets. I'm not talking about Animal Hoarders filled because that is just vile and is something I can't even stand to watch on tv. I'm talking about anyone that got (hopefully adopted) a pet and then just wanted one more...but still has the willpower to stop, stand back and realize "whoa whoa whoa...there is no way I can adopt another animal right now. My current ratio of humans to iguana/kitten/ ferret/mini horses is just right!" My gateway pets were Luigi and Sofia. I got them when I was 24 and was less than responsible. I spent most of my weekends drinking in Portsmouth. The great thing about cats is that they are relatively easy to care for. I could leave for a day or two knowing they would be OK and love me even more when I got back. Eventually, this led to wanting a dog. Enter Ollie and my almost obsession with shelters, animal rescue, dogs and cats. I love Ollie, Luigi and Sofia to the moon and back and would love to get another dog (read: blue and white female pitbull) to round out the bunch. You know, even the score for Ollie. Give him a buddy/girlfriend to romp around with and another warm body to help me with heat bills in the winter. Two cats and two dogs sounds perfect. Plus I fall in love with a new dog every week at Cocheco. Thankfully, I have the wherewithal to know that getting/adopting another pet (with the exception of a pet rock) would be downright asinine right now. I can just barely squeak by with the vet bills/food costs of three and would be bankrupt with four. On top of that, I would lose my f'n mind roughly 135 times a day. Too. Many. Animals. This of course has never stopped me from searching endlessly on Petfinder, Adopt A Pet and local shelters for the perfect # 4...you know, just in case. This tends to be heartbreaking seeing dogs still on these websites weeks and months after you originally spotted them. To curb my sadness I imagine the families they will get adopted into and how happy they will be. Sometimes I take weeks off from doing this because it just gets too tough. Inevitably, I come crawling back looking for my next perfect pittie fix because like any good gateway drug you're always craving something more...just a little bit more...just one more and then I will quit I promise. Gateway cats...they're dangerous.

Perfect Quote

I've gotten sucked into several stories of horrible animal cruelty/abuse that have made the news and/or FB pages. The kind that you see and you actually lose your breath because the pictures are so disturbing and sick. The most recent story was about a dog (Patrick) that was starved to the brink of death and then thrown down a trash shoot. He is doing ok now and looks like he will make a full recovery, but it gets to me. The sick things that humans can do to defenseless animals eats at my brain. I don't get it nor do I ever want to. With that being said, I wont ever stop advocating for animals and trying to make the world a better place. This quote perfectly sums up my reaction and thoughts when I read these stories of abuse, cruelty and torment. They deserve it : "He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion" ~Unknown

They Bring Me To You

Every once in a while I play little 'what if' games in my head. What if I didn't stay in the Seacoast? What if I didn't take that job? What if we were still together? What if I went to his house that night? What if he was the one?

Its the little decisions that can make huge differences down the road and you never know it at the time. The butterfly effect. I made those decisions and at the time I thought they were right. I still do, but it doesn't stop me from wondering what if...

I have vowed that Ollie will be the one who decides who I'm going to marry. He's not a fan of most guys and its a rare thing when he is instantly comfortable with men. So if he runs up to any guy, I take notice. Currently, there are 5 men total that he doesn't freak out at. Figures, that he would be perfectly comfortable with a tall guy, in a hat, with a deep voice (all thinga that terrify him) that happens to be married...and also happens to be someone from a past life. The one that got away? Possibly.

Here's the thing: Of all the what ifs I've played out in my mind in the last few years not one of them would have led me to where I am now and they most certainly wouldn't have lead me to adopting Ollie. And that is the one what if that really matters...

"And only the heartaches have given me sight, they bring me to you." ~ Joshua Radin

Mr. Handsome

So happy he's going to live with Karen!!! He gets the best home possible and I still get to get updates about him and see him. Happiness! Also, my new phone/camera is the balls...something Rowan does not have...or most of his tail. Nub!

New Phone...

for old/vintage photos. Love it

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