HAPPY TAILS

THE BIG FAMILY:   Palmer came to us last year with his 6 other siblings.. His mom Valentina is still waiting for a new home … Dee and Cheryl rescued them from an apartment building and brought them to the shelter, than Anne and I fostered him and some of his siblings. After he grew, he went to live at the Butler shelter…. He was the last of the kitty cat babies to be adopted in this litter…

And now...

Palmer is doing just beautifully!

We've never had a cat who's fit in so quickly with our other guys.. He's already bonded with our two males and is tearing around the house with Ozzie, who's about 16 months, and is sharing a bed with Clarence, who's 5 and no longer into racing around. It's really rather hysterical to hear him and Ozzie running around, up and down the stairs, jumping over things, and pretty much most of the night.

Our First Female, Jessica, has adopted him and is trying to teach him not to sneak up on others when they're eating. Not much progress there yet, but I'm sure with time. Our dog Logan, a 100 pound Labradoodle, already loves him, but Palmer is a little skittish around him. Logan's learned Palmer doesn't like to be licked (yet) and Ozzie is trying to show him that he shouldn't be afraid.

Anyway, he's an absolute love and is starting to smile a little bit. He was quite freaked when we first brought him in, so we kept him in a separate room (it has a screen door so you can see in and out) the first night and everyone came to say hello right away. No hissing, spitting or anything. So, the next morning we started letting him out so he could get to know everyone, but we kept close supervision until we had the results of his worm test. Our vet told us Monday the results were clear, so Monday morning he was completely loose. Oh, and he's gotten all his shots updated and has gingivitis, which seems to be making it difficult for him to eat crunchy food. We're giving him canned Nine Lives with some crunchy kitten food on the side, and have some medicine to give him for three weeks, but he's still a little skittish (he spit and tried to bite when we tried to give him the medicine) so we're holding off on that for a bit and concentrating on patting him and letting him get to know and trust us.

But we're so happy to have him, he's absolutely gorgeous and I think will be happy living with us. He still has to win over our other two females - Fred and Stacy - but in time, I'm sure he will.

THE JOURNEY HOME:   My name is Timmy and this is my story. Somehow I ended up in a very scary situation and needed a safe place. Luckily, the volunteers at TBAW saw my photo and made arrangements to rescue me.

Shortly after I arrived, the vet determined that I had an old injury that hadn't been treated. I would need surgery to avoid complications as I grew older. TBAW then worked on raising the money needed to pay for my surgery. Through the generosity of the public and the TBAW volunteers the surgery was funded.

Further good fortune came from a lady who was searching for just the right dog to make her family complete. She went from one adoption event to another, from one shelter to another where she met lots of great dogs but not "the right dog". She had seen my picture on Petfinder.com and then visited to meet me. It was love at first sight. That lady is now my new Mom and she has a grown up son named Jim. Mom says that every boy wants a dog of his own but that every dog deserves a boy (or a girl) of his own. Even though Jim is 30 (in dog years, that's really old), Jim is my boy. He takes me great places like long walks to the park and to the lake. Sometimes I go for car rides when they run errands or go visiting. I have lots of great food here. Mom even puts peanut oil in my food for my coat which is glossy all of the time now. Jim lets me on his bed and we hang out there watching TV or playing Xbox but mostly I sleep upstairs with Mom where I have a Dora the Explorer bed.

When we go out on the front porch (Mom had gates put there and they keep me safe), if I beat Mom to the couch, she just laughs and sits in a chair instead. I have a fenced yard at home and Mom invites other dogs over sometimes for a play date. With my cousin, Ozzie, I get to play rough and tumble but with Holly, a small girl dog, I play gentle. We also have kids come to the house too, grandchildren Mom calls them, and I always walk soft and slow when they're around.

Mom doesn't mind that I'm not just like the dog that she loved for 11 years who went to Heaven. She says that it's supposed to be that way. I'm not a replacement dog, I'm special and I only have to be myself. I'm not the family pet, I'm a family member. Thank you TBAW for saving me!

TOPAZ TRIUMPHS:   Some of you may recall Topaz who graced the back cover of last year's newsletter. 2007 was her lucky year! She was finally adopted. Topaz came to TBAW in the fall of 2004 after a rocky year. She had spent six months at a boarding facility where her owners had abandoned her. After that she had a short visit with the young woman who took Topaz home when the boarding facility planned to euthanize her. Unfortunately her landlord would not allow Topaz to stay. Appearing in tears at our doorstep one cold and rainy November night she relinquished Topaz into our care. Topaz was a quiet kitty that rarely showed her best side, and at age six not the first choice for most adopters. Topaz won the hearts of our volunteers only when they took the time to get to know her. Her fellow furry shelter mates gave her plenty of personal space.

In 2005 Topaz's guardian angel appeared in the form of Ann, a local resident who visits the shelter nearly every Sunday during Pet Adoption hours to drop off food, treats, or toys for the cats. Ann greets each cat and checks in on their status. Topaz became a favorite. However Ann had her hands full at home with her own elderly cats so adopting Topaz was not an option. In 2006 after lengthy health battles two of Ann's cats sadly passed away. In 2007 after careful consideration and mourning her beloved cats, Ann and her husband came to rescue Topaz. It almost seemed that Topaz had waited for them.

Topaz now rules the roost in her new home and has developed a special affection for Ann's husband. The remainder of Topaz's life is guaranteed to be far better than anything she has ever experienced. Stories like this teach us to never give up hope . there is a great home and a better life just around the corner.

DOUBLE THE LOVE:  Another double adoption for 2007!  DIAMOND (right) and OZZIE (below) now spend their time traveling with their family between New Jersey and New Hampshire.