THE ANIMAL SHELTER REPORT

By Thetis Reeves

 

mayaYou couldn’t call it a fun time. High anxiety more accurately describes it. On June 14, Chapala authorities gave us forty-eight hours (extended from the original demand of two hours) to clear out our dogs and shut down our new Dog Center. And after we managed to do so within the deadline, they reversed themselves! (It’s my personal guess that someone higher up, when word reached him, said to them, What in the hell have you done?) As we’re pretty darn sure most of you know by now, we’re back in the dog-adoption biz, but tentatively. There are final terms yet to be worked out.

Every dog we had on hand that stressful day found a permanent or foster home within the time limit we were given, through the Herculean efforts of our dog-center volunteers and the response from friends to the Shelter when pleas for help spread through the community. Farewell and good luck to Whitney, Bruiser, Elsie, Roco, Tia and the others. Hello to—well, I haven’t even met the new residents as yet. The new pups and dogs move in this Monday and I am writing this on the weekend.  Alex, my editor, could hold the presses for only so long. The column I had ready to go on the fateful eviction day had to be tossed. This one replaces it, in a bit of a rush.

All of us at the Shelter were gratified by the community’s response. Close to 2000 people signed petitions to protest the closing, about one-third Mexican, to be presented to City Hall. A woman lawyer, an advocate for animal rights, immediately came to our assistance, pro bono, and went to City Hall with a noise pollution expert at her side. In the turmoil of those few days, we never got her name. We thank the two of them and everyone else who expressed their concerns in many ways.

To date, a verbal agreement is in effect that we will take in fewer dogs and pups. The noisy ones will be put inside at night. Now more than ever we need to step up adoptions in order to take in other needy dogs. If we’ve learned anything these past few hectic days, it is that we can count on you. Come check out our new dogs. I mean, really, check them out, take them home.

All this to-do has distracted us from the meowing need of our cats and kittens. Let’s focus anew:  It’s that time of year that really stresses us out. We have pussy-cats galore needing good homes. And we have a very special pair of two beautiful white, blue-eyed kittens: They are deaf. The sooner they are able to adjust to a permanent home, the better. We know from experience that when placed in a home with other cats, the hearing cats help the deaf ones, so that works. So does a caring home all to themselves. They are sociable, playful and unique. They need to be indoors 24/7. Please come in and learn more about adopting these deaf kits

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