Bringing a new member into your home can be a delightful but challenging experience.  As with people, each animal has a distinct and multifaceted personality.  When dealing with a rescued dog from an organization of foster volunteers or even a local shelter, one must assume that the dog has been abandoned and may have issues associated with traumatic events.  Lack of training, cruelty, and neglect are the most common scenarios.   

The key to an obedient and happy dog is their trust in their owner(s).  They need direction and they need to feel safe, whether it is in rehabilitating a dog or introducing them to your home.  The advice I share is the guidelines I use on a daily basis with my foster dogs.  

First, every person in the family that will be exposed to the new dog is advised to be respectful of the new dog’s comfort range, i.e. to give him/her space to become adjusted.  Let the dog come to the person on his/her own, it is never the person to approach the dog. 

Second, all kids are advised to be quiet and respectful of the dog’s privacy.  They are always supervised and never left alone with any animal!  Dog bites usually happen as a miscommunication between dog and human.  A young child cannot recognize subtle signs of irritability and could provoke a reaction in which the dog feels cornered or threatened.  

Third, we establish the rules before the dog comes home.  I call this the “game plan.”  This refers to where the dog will sleep, eat, go for a walk, and what the dog is allowed to do or not allowed.   As a family, we are one unit sending one signal and it is easier for the dog to learn what is expected of him/her.   The advance planning also establishes a routine that a new dog can rely on and trust.  It makes a huge difference in the dog’s behavior.

Fourth, we always meet our resident dogs with the new dog on a neutral property.   The dogs don’t run out in front of us and approach the strange dog in the face.  That is considered intimidating and rude.  Instead, everything is controlled and calm.  Dogs sniff behind the other dog, with the humans (think alpha) talking to them, and watchful.  Reward the dogs for being polite and separate immediately if you sense danger or fear.  Hard or wide-eyed stares, stiff movements, growls, both hair and tail raised are all signs to take a break.

Fifth, and perhaps one of the most important things to a dog, is to provide each and every dog with their own covered crate that they can eat their food in, hide during the thunderstorms (or if mom is really mad because her favorite shoes have become rawhide), or just chill out with the squeaky toys.  Dogs are den creatures by instinct.  Providing them with a place of refuge reduces anxiety and territorial behaviors.  

Last, but not least, the method of training a dog is the window to his/her heart.  This is an acquired art.  Every dog will understand and react differently to training methods.  The common thread is to be quietly firm and assertive.  Reassuring unwanted behavior leads to worse behavior.   However, always appreciate the positive steps toward good behavior.  Your leadership and love will lead to a dog’s security and love towards their new home.  From one animal advocate to another, be proud of your decision to save a life!

Emma was in 3^rd grade when she asked if we could go into the Commerce PetSmart just to “look at the fish and birds and things.”  I’m not even sure that we knew there were kitties up for adoption on the premises.  But ‘lo, there they were – and Ozzy, along with a couple of siblings and their very young mother, was among them.  Emma’s heart was bound.  Evidently, so was mine.

Ozzy was a lovely tuxedo kitten…black with symmetrical white markings at his neck, belly and all four precious paws.  He was frisky and playful, but skittish… not at all loving.  It must have been his story that so entranced us:  a feral mother and kittens discovered under a deck, hunted and tormented by a hawk (story goes that Ozzy’s sister actually had a chunk missing from her head).  Emma wanted him NOW, but we were leaving for Thanksgiving in two days and would be gone a week – not an auspicious time.  And then there was the Daddy hurdle…

Throughout that luxuriously long Thanksgiving break, Emma and I both thought of Ozzy…. Only Emma talked about him.  I figured he would be long gone by the time we got back – an easy out.  The following Wednesday, we convinced big sister Zoe (then 7^th grade) to go to PetSmart with us – just to see who might still be among the kitties up for adoption.  Ozzy was there. 

Although we tried repeatedly to raise Daddy on the phone while filling out the paperwork – no answer.  Oh well, we knew we’d have the chance to cross that creek before the water got high.  Paperwork complete, we left with hopeful hearts.  Daddy gave his grudging assent later that evening.

When we still had no response to our application by the weekend, we checked back during Saturday adoption hours. Ozzy was still there; but our paperwork had disappeared – and someone else had applied to adopt the kitty of our hearts!  Oh, trouble, indeed!

Fortunately, Sandy remembered us filling out the application, and so we were allowed first dibs.  After our re-application was approved, it was only a matter of waiting for Ozzy to recover from neutering. 

The whole family had already talked about naming our pending kitty Wasabi, after the spicy Japanese horseradish that comes with sushi.  It seemed the perfect name for the feisty kitten who had held his own and won our hearts against tough odds.  Plus, we figured if we called him “Wasi” it would sound to him like his GAAR name Ozzy.

The girls were beside themselves with anticipation.  We were scheduled to pick him up the following Saturday – just days before Christmas. 

Yet again, trouble intervened.  A huge snowstorm moved in Friday evening, with the threat of dumping 10-12 inches by Saturday morning.  After all their anticipation and preparation, Zoe and Emma were not inclined to wait ANY longer. 

Sooo, we called Donna and got permission to retrieve our kitty from his foster family on Friday night.  Off to Plymouth we went – in the dark, through driving snow.  What a nice family– and how sad their kids were to part with Ozzy…. and how happy our girls were to have their Wasabi.

This year will be Wasabi’s third Christmas with us – and what laughter and delight he brings.  Now our girls dedicate Thursday nights to cleaning, feeding and caring for all the GAAR kitties at the Commerce PetSmart. 

In this season of giving and light, we pray that every family might discover the joy that comes from welcoming a pet into their forever home.

Next time…the terrible night our very new kitty Wasabi disappeared!

The imaginations of both my daughters, Zoe and Emma, have been entranced by a series of books about cats. 

The Warriors books, now embarking on a fourth trilogy, tell the stories of cat clans whose members are gifted with special talents and who earn mythic names like Raven Paw, Fire Heart and Blue Star.  I have yet to read the books, but I think I must:  I don’t want to miss out on this world that has so bound the hearts and minds of my girls.  I guess I hope to be bound up with them.

Emma, the younger, was assigned a 5^th grade book-share project – and, oh surprise, she chose the first Warriors book.  For her visual element, she created a board game (see picture 1) – complete with four kitty game pieces – that leads players through prey and power acquisitions, rat attacks, river impasses and gathering places, all leading toward sacred ceremonial grounds where the winning kitty is granted Warrior status.

One might wonder what any of this has to do with GAAR….

Well…We adopted our tuxedo kitten Wasabi, nee Ozzy, (see picture 2) from GAAR two years ago this December.  He was one of a litter of feral kittens discovered with their too-young mother hunkered underneath a deck and terrorized by a determined hawk.  On her recent book-share report, Emma wrote: 

“I always wondered what my cat did while we were gone, and I thought up something similar to this wondrous novel…

I never knew what I thought up and dreamt of would become a book!”

Recently, we (Zoe and I, plus Emma – partly because she’s a bit young to be left at home and mostly because she’s darned adamant not to be left out) agreed to volunteer our Thursday nights at what we call the Petsmart “kitty house.“ That means we commit about two hours of our time each week to care for GAAR kitties on display for adoption.  We clean and tidy their cage homes, replenish their food and water, and make sure they have a little TLC and play time.  This work keeps us grounded and grateful and covered in cat hair.

The girls takes pictures and come up with Warrior names for every cat we tend.

When we arrive home afterward, Wasabi (not to mention our dog Echo) is fully aware that we’ve been “stepping out” with other kitties.  The girls and I wonder aloud if Wasabi feels threatened by their competing scents… if he recognizes his previous, temporary home…if he feels anxious…?  What the girls know and believe in their hearts is that Wasabi, just like every other kitty rescued by GAAR, has a Warrior story:  a tale that is throat-closing and heart-wringing and courageous…and blessedly filled with hope and promise, thanks to GAAR.

I believe that children and pets blossom when they grow together; their friendships are deep and enduring.   My girls have learned powerful lessons in responsibility, accountability, cause and effect, respect and compassion.  Both girls and Wasabi have exercised and strengthened their tolerance and patience muscles.  Wasabi, who came to us frisky and playful – but not very loving – has grown into us gloriously.  He didn’t used to purr; now we pick him up or stroke his chin and his autonomic motor kicks into gear. He knows who is most likely to “play string” (his favorite game by far), dole out treats, or turn on the faucet so he can lap up a stream of fresh water. 

We can’t know that cats feel gratitude, but it surely seems like it.  I suppose we might be accused of projecting our gratitude onto our beloved, adopted kitty – but if that’s the case, then Wasabi’s luminous eyes are surely mirrors that reflect our gratitude right back at us.

Pic (1) Wasabi knows all about being a Warrior

Pic (2) Wasabi, year one, finds sanctuary in the girls’ bathroom

On every shopping trip to petsmart I would love to visit the cats that were up for adoption. I could not help falling in love with Poe and I visited her for a week. My husband also liked her too so we enquired about adoption and were lucky enough to become her new cat owners. This is how I met the group of volunteers that handle the adoptions - and I soon became part of the 'family' called Guardian Angel Animal Rescue, or to us GAAR. 

I started cleaning the cages, feeding the cats and giving them some play therapy on Monday evenings. I enjoy my time with the cats and making sure that they are warm, healthy and loved. After a few months, I fell in love again with another cat. Soon I became Barneys mom...and then Twix and Dale joined us, too. I had a new family, my GAAR family.

I have been volunteering with GAAR for nearly 2 years now and I have made many new friends of all ages and backgrounds. The fund raising events to raise money for the animals health care are so much fun and everyone works hard and are eager to come up with ideas to help. I enjoyed being a foster mom and experienced watching Twix deliver her 5 kittens. That was so joyful and Twix is a great mom! Every week I am so eager to receive an email informing us of a new adoption. It makes all the effort feel so worth it.

I am always so impressed by the dedication, generosity and love that everyone has for the animals and each other. I am proud to be involved with such a special group of people. I know the cats and dogs are happy too, we are their only hope. I look forward to spending many happy years with GAAR.

I had only volunteered at GAAR for a few months before I found out I could foster a cat. I had never owned a cat in my life but was ecstatic to have the chance to short term foster one. I saved up money and spent it all on different toys, food, and litter. I even spent hours "cat-proofing" my bedroom. That really meant taping unstable cardboard all around the spaces under my bed. Little did I know, those barriers would not stop any cat from going where it wanted.

It took me some time to get used to scooping the litter everyday, always having a cat trying to eat my food, hearing a lot of meows, and getting cat hair everywhere. The good definitely outweighs the bad. The love these cats have given me over the past year I have been fostering, has been priceless. It has taught me so much responsibility. After I have had a long day, all I want to do is curl up in bed with my cats. I have gotten so used to the sound of purring, that when I don't hear it I have trouble falling asleep. I love to just sit around and observe the different behaviors each different cat has. Cats know how to make me feel better.

There is one downside though: giving them back! Although we might want to, no foster can keep all the cats. The first few times I had to return my fosters were the hardest. And I still have my favorites, but I really do love them all. Every time I have to give a cat back I feel like a piece of my heart is taken too. But then I get a new one, which doesn't replace the old one it just brings more completeness into my heart again. The only way to calm myself down when I have to bring a cat back is to realize how much I have made a difference in these cats lives. One of my favorite things, is volunteering at the Saturday adoptions and being able to see which cats go to which homes, which I find very rewarding. I would do anything for these cats and my life would be so empty without them. Sometimes I feel like I need the cats more than they need me. They are my best friends and I can not thank GAAR enough, for letting me help save these wonderful cats.
I also want to thank them for having such amazing volunteers who I consider are part of one big family. Thank you so much GAAR you have made my life have meaning.