Animals pat life

“Here you go Patches. There’s yummy treats in there.” An Animal Friends’ volunteer sat with the 6-year-old Calico, feeding her from a cup. Each time she took food, the volunteer would click, thus beginning Patches’ clicker training. Each click catches or marks the desired behavior that the animal should repeat. Patches was surrendered to Animal Friends this past January and has since been through the respiratory ringer. Twice our staff rushed her to the emergency vet because of severe asthma attacks. She wasn’t responding well to oral medication and even underwent oxygen chamber treatments. She needed something more manageable and immediate in event of another emergency. She was prescribed an inhaler to help her get through her asthma attacks. But Patches needed to get used to it so she didn’t refuse when she needed it most. That’s when our medical staff and volunteers teamed up. Together they devised a plan to desensitize Patches to her inhaler. And of course the best way to do this

After his owner abandoned him, Cinco was rescued by Animal Friends’ Humane Police Officers. He was found flea- and lice-ridden and suffering hair loss as a result. Upon coming to Animal Friends, the medical team went to work – fleas and lice were treated, long nails were trimmed and his few remaining teeth were cleaned. On the outside, Cinco quickly looked like a brand-new cat. But he still had a few hurdles to overcome. Upon being abandoned, Cinco was left fearful and anxious – it’s no surprise he hissed and spat at anyone that approached him. But staff and volunteers would not be discouraged. They worked diligently with Cinco. They were acclimating him to human touch and affection – showing him the love he should have been receiving all along. Animal Friends is unique, we’re not only concerned with the animals’ physical wellbeing but also their mental wellbeing. Extensive training is given to volunteers to reduce the animals’ stress levels in order for our resident dogs, cats and ra

Guest Blogger: Casey Stuver, Critter Camp Intern Animal Friends is pleased to announce a successful close to the 2015 Summer Camp season. We held our biggest season yet - 15 sessions over 8 weeks. A big thank you to our campers - our animals, staff, and volunteers enjoyed having you here! Critter Camp Over the course of four weeks, 32 kindergarten and first graders joined our camp teachers, Ms. Ashley Phoenix and Ms. Kelly Miller, and adult and teen volunteers for a three-day camp to learn about and tour our shelter, meet many animals, and create crafts for the bunnies, rabbits, and dogs to enjoy. The camp followed a three-day themed schedule including Bunny Day, Cat Day, and Dog Day. Bunny Day   Kerri Nevills, an Animal Friends volunteer and foster parent for rabbits, has been a guest speaker at Critter Camp for many years now. Kerri comes to talk to the campers about foster care and how to handle rabbits. This summer, Kerri brought in her own therapy bunny, Aubrey, along with her fo

“What are you doing here fella,” murmurs a Good Samaritan. He found a 10-year-old Chow Chow mix, Teddy, on his porch on a frigid, winter evening. Teddy was wearing a collar without tags and dragging some-20 feet of cable. This fluffy, little guy was someone’s dog. Without identification the man had no choice but to set out to find the owners. Alas, his search was fruitless – so he turned to Animal Friends. Upon Teddy’s arrival, it didn’t take long for staff to notice he was alarmingly head-shy. So much so, he needed to be muzzled to complete his physical exam. The medical team found his ear canals to be in terrible shape – it’s no wonder he was incredibly sensitive to touching on and near his ears. Despite knowing the origin of his sensitivity, his chances of being available for adoption didn’t look good. Before all animals (dogs, cats and rabbits alike) can be available for adoption at Animal Friends, their behavior must be assessed by our behavior team. This includes a few tests to

  Benni and Samson are both short haired Gemini kitties born on May 25, 2014. They could be considered fraternal twins that speak to each other in a code similar to the game marco-polo. Benni is a curly tailed tabby that loves anything to do with laser pointers.   In fact if you say the word laser in front of him he starts seeking out red dots!      Samson is a black and white longer tailed cat, to make up for his brothers short stubby tail. He much prefers hanging out in the bathroom tub, licking moisture off of the shower curtain, or lounging atop shampoo bottles.      These guys are free to a good home, but CANNOT be split up. Benni and Samson have been glued at the hip since birth so to tear them apart is a big no-no.   They are also strictly indoor cats since they have never been outside.   A smaller home or apartment is fine, as long as they have plenty of toys to play with and the landlord is okay with pets. All we will need to place these 1-year-olds is proof that you are perm

Snip, snip, snip … Cerulean’s foster mom is in her front yard snipping clover. Doesn’t seem too out of the ordinary, except it’s 1 a.m. and she’s worried sick that the young rabbit was refusing new food. In her first year of life, Cerulean had already been to the ICU twice and seen by no less than six veterinarians. Her medical challenges proved to be a bit of an enigma but Animal Friends wouldn’t give up. Normally, Cerulean responded well to her favorite foods (she’s even been known to beg for a banana!) but with every treat refusal, her foster mom’s worry only grew. Cerulean needed to eat. Her foster mom even ran to her local supermarket several times – an apple here, dandelion greens there – leading up to her 1-a.m. harvest. Then it dawned on her – clover! The veterinary staff that cared for Cerulean during her ICU stay reported her love for fresh clover. Holding her breath with cautious optimism, foster mom offered her freshly picked, homegrown clover to Cerulean. And she ate ever