Sparkles was rescued from a BYB at the age of 11. She found a home with a wonderful family one year later at the age of 12.

I have been rescuing and rehoming animals for half my adult life. Whenever I find a suitable home for an animal it brings me a certain amount of joy to know that I have ensured that animal will have a decent life with a family that loves them. The joy in my heart when I place a senior rescue is boundless. Seniors always get a bad rap. “Oh, that one doesn’t have much time left” people will say. Perhaps they don’t have much time left, but you are in a position to make the time they have left a time of love and caring.

There are many advantages to adopting a senior animal. For one thing they are usually toilet trained, so you don’t have the same problems one would encounter when training a baby animal. They are usually calmer, no puppy or kitten exuberance to deal with. Seniors still have a lot to give however.

People are often hesitant to adopt a senior for fear of ending up with a sickly pet, but most senior animals in shelters and rescue groups are quite healthy. Another reason is that they do not want to think of bonding with a pet that might not live long. Dogs are technically considered “seniors” at age seven, but most live until 12-15 years of age (or longer). So, adopting a senior dog does not necessarily mean that your days together are numbered. Potential adopters also worry that their new pet will be set in his ways and might not behave appropriately. However, this is not the case. So many homeless senior pets once lived in a home and are often housebroken and somewhat trained. They are also likely to be less hyperactive and better socialized than young dogs or cats.

Adopting a senior pet is a kind action and a rewarding experience, but it is still important to understand that senior

dogs and cats do have special needs. Fortunately, the extra care is usually minimal – it is often just about prevention and awareness. Older dogs and cats may become a little less active in time and some develop arthritis, but these are things that are often simple to handle. So, next time you decide to adopt a dog or cat, consider making it a senior dog or cat. It will change your life forever.

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE

Janette

Chester in the summer of 2005

Well here we are in the middle of the week, and it seems we are having a cat themed week. Bearing that in mind it occurred to me that I haven’t yet told you the story of Chester. Seventeen years ago Chester was a stray that wandered into my husbands yard. Skinny and infested with ear mites it was clear he had no home. He was one of my husbands first rescues, although if you asked him I am sure he would tell you it was Chester who rescued him.

Todd took Chester in and took him to a vet. He treated his ear mites and cleaned him up. Chester began to gain weight and his personality began to emerge. Oh what a personality it was! Chester was more like a dog than any cat I have ever known. By the time I met him in the summer of 2002 he was eleven years old and quite set in his ways. For Chester that meant he was about five years into his life’s work of rescuing other stray cats.

Now I know that sounds funny, but it is true. Chester was an outdoor cat (neutered of course) he liked to roam the neighborhood and all of the neighbors knew him well. Neighbors that hadn’t seen him in a few days would stop by and ask about him to make sure he was okay. Chester was fine, and so were the many starving cats he brought home on a daily basis. I don’t know how many stray cats we fed, caught, and found homes for over the years, suffice it to say that there was a time when every house on our street shared their home with one of Chester’s rescues.

Sammy after surgery in 2006

I live right next door to the owners of Chester’s most amazing rescue. Sammy a DSH was in bad shape when Chester first brought him home. He had gotten into a fight with a raccoon and the raccoon had got the best of the deal. Sammy’s face was ripped apart. Chester of course brought him home. We tried to live trap the cat, we knew he needed medical attention, but Sammy would not be fooled by the live trap. Chester however, unable to resist a free meal would get caught in it three or four times. A few days after our first attempts to catch the injured cat Chester brought him home again. it was clear Sammy had gotten into another fight, both sides of his face were now ripped apart. Now it was even more important that we catch the injured cat. Our neighbor was a cat lover so she got involved as well. A few days later she managed to catch Sammy.

Sammy was in bad shape. The first set of wounds had begun to become infected. The flesh was dieing on his face. Anyone else would more than likely have had the vet put Sammy to sleep, but not my neighbor. Sammy’s face needed complete reconstruction, an expensive endeavor. The surgery was done, at a cost of over two thousand dollars. The only outward sign that Sammy was ever injured is a mismatching of the stripes on his face. Had Chester not brought Sammy home that day, he would have died of infection from his injuries. We believe that Chester knew we would help his friend, and that is why he brought him home.

Before meeting Chester I wasn’t much of a cat person. I rescued them same as I did dogs, but I never really took to them. Chester changed my perception of cats, he made me see them for the truly wonderful animals they are. We lost Chester in May of 2010. He was nineteen years old when kidney failure set in, within 48 hours his body began to shut down and he was gone. Every day I leave my home and meet up with Sammy in my driveway. Seeing Sammy reminds me of Chester the cat who made it his job to save other cats the way my husband saved him so long ago.

The next time someone tells you an animal does not understand that it has been rescued, think of Chester, and know that animals do know you have saved them. Chester knew, he also knew that we would do the same for any cat he brought us. Chester spent his life paying it forward, it is one of the things I loved most about him. If a fifteen pound cat can do it, SO CAN YOU!

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE

Janette

Last week I discussed puppy mills, those horrible places where dogs are incarcerated and forced to produce litter after litter for the satisfaction of a greedy human who cares nothing about their health or welfare. We all know they exist, we all hate them, and we all want the suffering stopped. But were you aware that kitten mills also exist?

Cats like these spend their entire lives in crates.

The media has given puppy mills at least enough attention to make the phrase a commonplace euphemism for “bad puppy breeder,” but little attention has been given to kitten mills. The truth is, any type of animal can be milled, and any time people are willing to financially support these mills, there will always be more that crop up and more that win the battles that try to shut them down. Due to a lack of public attention, many former puppy mill breeders have switched gears, and now offer a multitude of cats to the public as well as private organizations without concern for the drastic over–breeding of the animal, the conditions it lives in, or its fate once the kitten leaves their property.

Kitten mills are of course just another example of humanity’s supreme reign over the animal kingdom, we have the power to torture for profit, and thus we do. However, when enough people bond together in an effort to limit or minimize this form of torture, something can be done to prevent the ongoing abuse. While these kitten breeders tend to focus highly on the over—production of “purebred” cats, the truth is that the vast majority of cat owners do not know the difference between most breeds of cats, notwithstanding the most obvious types; Siamese, Himalayan, and the like.

A few startling statistics for the cat world can really shake up our perception of the need for anyone anywhere to breed cats at all, let alone in vast quantities. According to the Humane League of the United States, most cats are adopted via a casual rescue effort. About 48% of human owned cats are taken in as strays, or found by someone who gives the kitten or cat to a friend, or is adopted directly from a rescue league. A much smaller percentage, 14%, adopts their cats from shelters, especially high kill shelters. The remaining percentage goes directly to either breeders or pet stores. However, with all this kitty purchasing going on, 71% of all cats or kittens that find themselves in the unfortunate position of being in a shelter are euthanized before suitable homes can be found. Only one out of every five kittens and cats are destined to live in one home for their lifetime. Most cats find themselves abandoned or left on the shelter doorstep when they are either too much responsibility or lose their cute little kitten appeal.

So, we already know that pet overpopulation is a big problem in this country, and many other countries. Yet, really, what would keep a cat breeder of one hundred and fifty kittens in business. Unfortunately, what doesn’t make it out into the public as a birthday present for a loved one or as a new companion for a home with love to spare, end up being sold in bulk to laboratories and other testing facilities. This statistic alone makes someone like me want to run out and purchase two or three of the kittens I could give good homes to in order to prevent those few a treacherous life of abuse and neglect. However, once I give the kitten mill a single dime from my own pocket, I am giving them my business. And the business of abuse is not one that my dollar, nor anyone else’s who claims to have even a shred of love and compassion in their hearts, should support.

So perhaps you are reading this and you are enraged and affected and you think the human race needs to be taught a great big lesson in compassion and responsible and ethical behavior toward all living creatures. You would be right. But when this article is finished, are you going to stop reading, tell a few important people in your life what horrid things we do to the innocent for a quick and easy buck, and then resume your daily business? Or do you think you might be affected enough to take on a little action?

You have probably just learned something you did not already know. The focus for years has been on puppy mills. Kitten mills fall through the cracks, because people don’t see cats as a commodity in the same way they view puppies. Both so called “business operations” abuse animals, both must be stopped, so why is the focus always on puppy mills? Kitten mills are easier to hide, cats don’t make as much noise as dogs, a dogs bark is louder than a cats meow. People are unaware that kitten mills exist, therefore when they fight such abuse they focus on the problem they know about, puppies.

So today I give you a challenge. You are going to surf the net today anyway aren’t you? That is probably how you ended up here reading this. So now I challenge you to find any information you can on the subject of kitten mills. Inform yourself, share that information with a friend and then decide how you will take action. Will you start a petition? Join your local shelter’s volunteer list? Speak to your senator or MPP? Or will you shake your head and say oh that’s terrible, and move on to the next article? What will you do with the information you now possess? The ball is in your court, will you step up and try to make a difference?

Until Tomorrow Remember.

BE THE CHANGE

Janette

Look at this face...could you abandon her in an empty apartment?

Sundays are usually slow and peaceful, we spend time with the dogs, play with the cats, and do the weeks laundry. Not so this past Sunday. One of my rescues was abandoned in an empty apartment BY HER FOSTER CARE PROVIDER. My husband and I made the mad dash to Toronto, and re-rescued Chloe.

Chloe is safe now, and a wonderful couple from Niagara Falls have stepped up and offered to foster her until Let’s Adopt can find her a wonderful forever home.

Chloe will have spay surgery before being moved to her foster home early next week. My daughter has agreed to pay the seventy five dollar fee to have the cat fixed and her shots brought up to date.

Two people have already stepped forward to make a difference for this cat. We begin to see a community of people working toward a common goal. We begin to see what Let’s Adopt truly is. A global community of people brought together online to co-ordinate with each other and save lives. As Viktor Larkhill would say, a tribe.

Chloe will never again worry whether she will have food, never again cower under a dumpster in a cold driving rain, never again give birth to a litter of kittens that die from starvation or exposure. Chloe is safe tonight because someone cared. She will be taken care of because someone answered my call for help. She will live a life of love because a community cared enough to work together and make things happen.

Now I need that community to step up again. About a week from now we will need assistance in getting Chloe from my home in Barrie, Ontario to the the home of her foster parents in Niagara Falls, Ontario. If you can help by taking her even part of the way we NEED to hear from you. Anyone who may be able to assist please contact:

viktor@myletsadopt.com

or

janettehamilton@bell.net

Please let us know how much of the trip you can do on what date, and what your start point and end point would be. This will help us plan the transport smoothly. Anyone interested in becoming a foster parent for Let’s Adopt Canada should let us know that too, we most definitely want to hear from you if you think you can help in any way, Chloe is not the only animal who needs help, so even if you can’t help out in this situation we still want to hear from you, there is probably another animal that could use your offer of help.

Can’t physically do anything to help? Our Simba fund could use a donation if you have the means. Even a few dollars helps. We have many animals who need our help. No matter how large or small your contribution, it matters, and it makes a difference.

Once Chloe settles in we will get new pictures and some video so you can see what a gem this cat truly is. Perhaps you may find she would fit into your home.

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE

Janette

Chloe loves windowsills.

Homeless no more.

A dead female lies in a pen with her live mate. She was pregnant at the time of her death.

It is estimated that close to two thousand puppy mills operate in the province of Quebec at any given time. Each houses between one hundred and four hundred dogs. Do the math, that means that up to 800000 dogs are trapped in a life of hell. Crammed into cages sometimes barely able to turn around or lie down, these dogs are forced to crank out litters of puppies until their health prevents them from doing so.  Once the female dogs are of no use (can not produce a litter or produce a litter that is too small) they are killed, usually by bludgeoning or drowning. They are not vetted, receive no medical care, and most never leave their cages from birth to death. As a matter of fact some die in their cages and are left to rot.

I am sad to say that Quebec has the reputation of being the puppy mill capital of North America. I am sad to say it because I am Canadian. As a Canadian I was appalled by what I found when researching this blog posting. You will be too. The following is a short series of film clip from HSUS. It chronicles a puppy mill bust in Quebec. For some of you this footage may be graphic, but it is reality, and it must be stopped.

If you have ever purchased a puppy from an internet add, a pet store or a pet auction (yes I know but sadly pet auctions take place) you have supported a puppy mill. Adopt! Don’t buy! The abuse has to stop.

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE

Janette

Hercules June 2010. 1 year after rescue.

By the summer of 2009 I had worked with over four thousand rescues. I had developed a pack oriented rehabilitation program and was having great success.

Late that June I received an email from a woman. She had taken in eight puppy mill rescues, all but two of the dogs had been found loving homes, the two that were left had been adopted out more than once, but the adopters kept returning them. Obviously they had issues this woman could not deal with. She asked if I would take them and work with them.

The animals were being housed at a doggy daycare in Orillia, Ontario. A friend and I drove up the next morning to assess the dogs and determine how we could help them. We entered a large open concept kennel room where dogs were kenneled together in one of four large chain link pens. Off in a corner pen two little dogs cowered together in a corner. These must be the puppy mill rescues I had come for.

In good shape physically, they had gained weight since their rescue and had been groomed for the first time. Their psychological health was a different story. Entering the pen, we sat on the floor and talked, ignoring the dogs completely. The miniature poodle got curious and leaving his corner approached my friend. When the dog got close enough she scooped him up in her arms and left the pen with him.

I was left alone with the smaller of the two dogs. I sat there pretending he didn’t exist. I was waiting for the curiosity to kick in as it usually did, but this dog did not move, he just sat there and shook. Standing up and turning my back on the dog I backed up into the corner. When I felt my back hit the wall I slid down and sat on the floor beside the little dog. I reached down slowly and picked him up, taking him out of the pen.

Securing both dogs in a crate in the back of the van we headed for home. The larger one seemed to be doing well, I decided to send him home with my friend who had agreed to foster one of the dogs. We named him Romeo. The smaller of the two was obviously far more psychologically damaged, he would come home with me for the pack to train. I named him Hercules, hoping he would gain strength and live up to his name. It was the first time in the two years since their birth the dogs had been given a name.

Romeo would find a successful forever home three months later. His new family would make a ten hour round trip to pick him up and take him home. This time he would not be returned.

Hercules was the smallest dog I had ever worked with, but would become the most difficult challenge I had ever taken on. He displayed none of the normal dog behaviors I expected from a rescue. It was time to let the pack do their job, and they performed miracles. Hercules soon became one of the pack, but still would not voluntarily approach a human, preferring to run and hide under a piece of furniture.

Over a year has passed since that day, and Hercules is still with us. He now comes to my husband and I (on his own terms,) but still runs when a stranger enters our home. He may never recover completely. He will stay with us for life.

Puppy mills are hell on earth for dogs. Cramped into tiny cages with two or three other dogs unable to turn around, sometimes unable to lie down, these dogs spend their lives never knowing a gentle human touch. They are not vetted, their health is unimportant to their captors, their only worth to these people is the production of puppies to stock retail stores. Every time someone purchases a puppy from a pet store they are supporting the abuse that these dogs are subjected to. It is high time for a ban on retail sales of animals. If retail stores can not sell animals puppy mills will not survive the decrease in demand.

If you are considering adding a dog to your family please adopt, don’t buy. If for some unknown reason you MUST have a purebred dog consider an older rescue. There are many wonderful breed specific rescues out there with amazing dogs who need a second chance. If you must have a puppy, find a reputable breeder that puts the health of their dogs above the profit they bring.

Until Tomorrow Remember

BE THE CHANGE

Janette