Richmond SPCA Blog

Alumni feature: "I'm so glad I took a chance on Fritz"

Editor's note: Today's guest blogger is Tracy Kennedy, who shares her adoption story.

I have to say that I've never considered myself to be a so-called "cat person." I was raised in a dog-centric home with a poodle and a schnauzer, and the few cats I had met at friends' homes were always so shy and withdrawn from me that I had started to assume that I must exude an anti-cat aroma.

Then I met Snuggles.

He certainly lived up to his name when I spent my Kitty Calming session with him last Sunday. Snuggles was constantly cuddling up to me, slowly making "air biscuits" with his white mittened-paws while I scratched his head. I had never met such an affectionate feline and I ended up spending over an hour just tickling his belly and brushing his back.

Over the next couple of days, I couldn't get him out of my head. I kept checking the Richmond SPCA's adoptions section for cats, fully expecting to see Snuggles get picked up and unsure of how I'd feel if he did. Jealous? Happy? It was hard to tell. As Monday and Tuesday both passed and my anxiety over him grew, I realized that I had fallen for the little guy and decided Monday night that I was going to adopt that cat.

The following Tuesday morning went by entirely too slowly. To say I wasn't nervous would be a huge lie. I feared the unknowns of cat ownership: what would I do if Snuggles started overtly hating me? What if he became an incorrigible furniture destroyer and territory marker? What if the canned food I bought for him wasn't to his liking? My "what if" fears were countless and gave me pause even as I pointed him out to the Adoption Counselor, but getting to spend time with him again before adopting him calmed some of them and reminded me why I was there.

After an hour of form filling, I happily paid Snuggles' adoption fee and carted him home.

To my great relief, Snuggles settled in almost right away. The Friskies I had bought was exactly to his liking and he gobbled it up that first night. The laser pointer I had picked up is now his favorite toy and he meows for it whenever he gets bored. Whenever I've needed to study, he's always been quick to jump up beside me and cuddle against me while I work, and at night he's started sleeping on my feet. He's constantly purring and curling his tail, so I take it that he's happy with his adoption, too.

Since he wasn't responding to his old name, I did end up renaming him "Fritz," though in reality, he ended up choosing it himself because it's the only name he perks up to. Whenever I call for him, he comes to me now just like a little dog and then starts begging for cuddles, which I'm more than happy to give.

I think it's safe to say that Fritz/Snuggles has found his forever home. Thank you all for all of your help and guidance during this adoption process, and for taking care of Fritz while he was between homes. I'm so glad that I took a chance on Fritz, he's an amazing cat.

---

To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

Related articles

We were adopted! (April 1-7, 2013)

Fall in love at the Richmond SPCA

We were adopted! (April 8-14)

Alumni feature: Oliver went from being an orphan to being a part of the family forever

One hot day in August 2011, a coworker here at the Richmond SPCA told me: “You have to go see the Chihuahuas from Pasadena – some of them are fluffy!” This immediately sounded dangerous. Though I had never particularly been a small dog person before, after adopting a long-haired Chihuahua mix from a shelter in college, I had a soft spot for her lookalikes.

Oliver just after being taken home from the Richmond SPCA

I made my way to the kennel where the dogs were and scanned the cards on the door for more information, landing on Wayne’s. It said he was a brindle long-haired miniature Dachshund Chihuahua mix. I knew it in my gut before I even saw him: he was going to be the best kind of trouble. I had been warned against adopting an animal so soon after beginning work at the Richmond SPCA; coworkers told me a lot of awesome animals were certain to come along. Meanwhile, I’m sure my friends and family already had their “I told you so” prepared.

I knelt down on the floor and called the dogs over. Wayne came bounding up. He was skinny, his fur was scraggly, but he was one of the sweetest creatures I had ever encountered. A few days later, I brought my first dog, Stella, in for a meet and greet. Wayne was the first dog Stella allowed to share my lap without complaint – it was meant to be. I already knew there wouldn’t be another dog like him. We took him home and he quickly became part of the family.   

Oliver (left) and Stella come to work with me almost every day

Oliver arrived at the Robins-Starr Humane Center after being transferred from the Pasadena Humane Society in California, so we don’t know his background. We named him after Oliver Twist, being a kid from the streets who was always hungry. He had the “please sir, I want some more” face mastered. He immediately loved Stella and she loved him. He got along with cats and other dogs, too. In fact, Oliver gets along well with everyone. Though he is no longer skinny and his coat is now soft and silky, he only gets sweeter and is the gentlest animal I know. Over a year later, although there have indeed been many other awesome animals (including two cats who joined our family during Christmas 2011), there still hasn’t been another dog anything like him. We couldn’t be happier that we brought him home.

In the words of Charles Dickens, “Oliver has long since grown stout and healthy; but health or sickness made no difference in his warm feelings to those about him, though they do in the feelings of a great many people. He was still the same gentle, attached, affectionate creature that he had been when pain and suffering had wasted his strength; and when he was dependent for every slight attention and comfort on those who tended him.”

Oliver with a kitten in the Richmond SPCA nursery

Holly and Ollie cuddling

Oliver and his three "sisters" lounging at home

            

---

Linley Beckner is the coordinator of community relations for the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name. 

Related articles

Alumni feature: holiday greetings from Natasha's happy home

Alumni feature: Starr family welcomes Baffi home

Alumni feature: holiday greetings from Natasha's happy home

Natasha always was a bit camera shy.

Natasha, now Tasha, was such a sweet girl when she was in our care. As a diabetic senior dog, she needed a little extra help and attention from our veterinary treatment and animal care teams, and she always paid back their affection ten-fold. We knew she was going to make a perfect addition to someone's family, and in September she was united with that loving home. We were so pleased to receive a holiday card with an update about her new life. 

 

Please enjoy this very kind holiday message from Tasha's new guardian.

"Tasha, the diabetic special needs dog, is thriving, coming our of her shell and is having a great time on my farm. She is a great driving partner, too. I love her so much!

Thank you Richmond SPCA staff and volunteers for all your efforts and your website, which hooked me up with my special dog. She has picked one of my cats to be her best 4-legged buddy. I'd send a picture, but she still hates cameras - such a silly girl!

Wishing you a Christmas that is merry and bright!"

         

---

Billy Dunkley is the manager of communications for the Richmond SPCA.To read his biography or that of our other bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

Priority is making it possible – again – for you to be a hero to a homeless pet this holiday

The Richmond SPCA has set an important lifesaving goal this holiday season – to unite more than 500 dogs, cats, puppies and kittens with loving new families during the month of December. To help us fulfill this mission, Priority Automotive, owned by Dennis Elmer, will pay the adoption fees from now until December 31 to support our effort to unite our pets with life-long homes and loving families. At the Richmond SPCA, this promotion will enable us to save the lives of even more precious animals because every time a pet goes home, we have the opportunity to transfer into our care another pet from a government shelter where his or her life is at risk.

Last year, 453 pets were adopted during the Priority special. Here are updates from just a couple of the happy families who adopted during the 2011 holiday promotion:

“Thank you so much for a wonderful adoption experience. Everything from the facility (which is WAY cool) to the staff (who could not have been kinder) was absolutely perfect!!! I appreciate the honesty, knowledge and expertise offered every step of the way. I look forward to adopting with the Richmond SPCA again and have recommended you guys to everyone I know.” – Tina (who adopted Reba the cat)

“I play violin for the Richmond Symphony and last year when the Richmond SPCA partnered with the Richmond Ballet during The Nutcracker, I would sit in the pit while playing and oogle over the dogs you brought in to be used (and adopted) in the performances.* On the day of the last show, I happened to enter backstage at the right time when the dogs were being prepped to go on stage. I couldn’t help but to sit down on the floor with them and not 10 seconds later, Chili came to me and curled up in my lap. The rest is history; I came in the next day and adopted her on Christmas Eve. Chili has been the perfect companion; she goes with me where ever I go and is the most gentle, friendly and sweet dog I have ever met… Thank you for your great work with animals in the community and I hope you continue to partner with the Ballet and other organizations to find homes for all the perfect dogs out there like Chili!” – Ross
*Dogs will be performing in the Richmond Ballet's production of The Nutcracker and available for adoption on-site again this year on Dec. 21 at 2 p.m., Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. and Dec. 23 at 1:30 p.m. at the Carpenter Theatre at Richmond Centerstage.

There’s no place like home for the holidays. Some of the pets in our care have been here for just a few weeks and some, like Brandy, have been here for years. Brandy has spent four holiday seasons in our care and hopes to spend this one in a life-long home instead. It is our holiday wish that both new faces and old friends find families of their own. We encourage you to come visit the dogs and cats we have available for adoption at our Robins-Starr Humane Center, where our knowledgeable staff will help you meet your match.

You can help us achieve our adoption goal by taking advantage of the Priority special and opening your home to a pet or by spreading the word about our adoption program to your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors. To view the wonderful dogs awaiting adoption in our center, please click here. To see all of the awesome cats we have available, please click here. Additionally, you can help promote our available pets by 'liking' and sharing our social media posts:

 

To Priority Automotive, we think Erica, who adopted during the 2011 special, said it best: “Your generosity last year brought our dog Dorsey into our lives. Thank you Priority.”

For more information about our holiday adoption special, please visit our website, call our adoption center 804-521-1307 or email adoption1@richmondspca.org. Thank you for your love of animals, and happy holidays!

Please note that all puppies and adult dogs adopted from the Richmond SPCA must leave our care with an acceptable leash and collar, and every kitten and adult cat must leave our care in a safe and secure cat carrier. If these items are not with you at the time of the adoption, you will need to purchase them in our Lora Robins Gift Shop, which has a fabulous selection of merchandise that is affordably priced with all proceeds benefitting our homeless animals.

---

Linley Beckner is the coordinator of community relations for the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name. 

Related articles

How a pet enters the care of the Richmond SPCA

Hoping for a home at long last

Black goes with everything

Stress-free holiday gift giving that saves lives

Richmond SPCA gift cards are a versatile holiday gift

Alumni feature: Starr family welcomes Baffi home

Last month, I took home a wonderful little kitty who has been living in my office for a while. You may have seen her picture on our Facebook page. Her name is Baffi which is short for Baffi di Latte. That is Italian for “milk moustache”. 

Take one look at her picture and you will see why – she has a perfect little milk moustache in white over her top lip.  Well, that is the explanation for the reference, I cannot tell you why we chose Italian other than it sounded a lot prettier in Italian than it sounded in any other language. She has not done anything that would seem to suggest that she is, in fact, Italian.

Baffi was found as a stray by my next door neighbors. They have a house at the river and kept seeing her wandering around alone outside. She came running to them whenever they arrived. They fed her and asked around to see if she belonged to someone. None of the neighbors had any idea where she had come from and none were able to take her in. So my neighbors brought her to the Richmond SPCA after she waited out her stray period with them. At the time that this all happened, I had just lost my precious and beloved Audrey. My heart was really broken and I was in that stage where your eyes well with tears uncontrollably at unexpected moments. I promised my neighbors that I would look out for Baffi since they really loved her but could not give her a home (they have two Siamese cats that are not interested in acquiring siblings).

I believed that nothing could ever fill that hole in my heart that Audrey had left. But, little Baffi was so cute, sweet and affectionate that I decided to let her come as far as my office, although I was sure that she would not work her way further into my heart. She knew otherwise. Before long, her purring, expert typing assistance and rolling over for tummy rubs whenever I entered the room had worked her magic. I found myself not wanting to leave her at the end of the day. So she came home with me and it is for good. Our other cat, Mr. Darcy, is not liking her much at the moment. But somehow I feel pretty sure that Baffi’s beauty, charm and affection will work her way into his heart just like she did into mine. Maybe she actually is Italian.

---

Robin Robertson Starr is the chief executive officer of the Richmond SPCA. To read her biography or that of our other bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

Related articles

How a pet enters the care of the Richmond SPCA

Alumni Update: Lily's Cinderella story

Alumni feature: Lily's Cinderella story

Lily with Jim and Linda Hobgood at the Richmond SPCA Fur Ball on Oct. 5, 2012

After their dog Henry passed away unexpectedly in February, Linda and Jim Hobgood thought they were doing their best to manage their grief, but Linda says their children, especially daughter Jenny, thought otherwise. Jenny visited the Richmond SPCA on a tour the day before Good Friday. It was a dog she saw in the care of our veterinary services team that led her to call her mother.

"You don't have to keep her," Jenny assured Linda, knowing their memories of Henry were still fresh and painful. "She just needs a temporary foster home until her eye surgery."

She was a little white dog who was named Sassy by our staff. Some might call her a designer dog or a cocktail breed. Sassy had come a long way to catch Jenny's eye and trigger that call to Linda. Found on the streets of Los Angeles County, she had a bruised shoulder, dislocated kneecap, ear infection, flea infestation and green discharge from her right eye when she arrived at an already overcrowded California municipal shelter. Her fortunes changed when she was placed on a van traveling across the country to the Richmond SPCA.

Linda and Jim met Sassy the Saturday before Easter, and our adoption center manager Carly Sgueo described the little dog's condition and the efforts of our veterinary services staff to return her to health. Typical treatments for Sassy's eye infection had been unsuccessful because the dog had no ability to produce tears in her right eye, leading to painful dryness and chronic infections. Linda says, "I began weeping and this trembling, white and caramel-colored little thing began licking the tears on my cheeks."

The Hobgoods agreed to two weeks of foster care until the date set for surgery on Sassy's right eye. It was on Easter that Jim began calling the little dog Lily. On Easter Monday, Linda felt it would be cruel to leave her home all alone and took Lily with her to class at the University of Richmond where she is the director of the Speech Center.

"No group of human beings can be more compassionate than college undergrads," Linda declared. "All through class they just stroked her trembling back and legs… until she drifted off to sleep on the lap of a kindly freshman."

Lily also worked wonders on visits with Linda's parents. "She took Dad's mind off his cancer and what lies ahead," she said.

The appointed day came for Lily to return to the Richmond SPCA for surgery. The procedure, called parotid duct transposition, was performed by Dr. Michael Blair at Animal Eye Care of Richmond thanks to the Cinderella Fund resources raised at the 2011 Fur Ball. The surgeon carefully dissected and moved the parotid duct so that Lily's salivary gland can replace her inadequate tear production with saliva to keep her eyes moist. 

The Saturday after her successful surgery Lily became a permanent member of the Hobgood family. Linda emailed family and friends with the announcement of their new addition, which she closed with the observation, "They call her a rescue dog, but I'm not sure who rescued whom."

---

Tabitha Frizzell Hanes is the director of communications for the Richmond SPCA. To read her biography or that of our other bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our commenting guidelines.

Alumni feature: On a whim, Marine meets her perfect canine match

Editor's note: Today's guest blogger is Elizabeth Dobbins, who shares her adoption story. 

I went to the Richmond SPCA on a whim, a week after my 24th birthday, in July 2011. I was a Marine Corps officer living alone, and I went to the Richmond SPCA to adopt a laid-back companion. I left work and drove straight to the Richmond SPCA, arriving one hour before closing time. Dottie (then "Lilith") was classified as a "Couch Potato," and she was the only dog who didn't leave her dog bed to come to the front of her enclosure when I walked through. After spending some time with her, I decided to adopt her that day.

Ever since that day, Dottie has been a friend, a reliever of stress and a snuggle buddy. She is truly happiest when she just gets to nap in my bed all day or sit next to me on the couch while I read. She is very quiet, and at times seems thoughtful. She has traveled all over the East Coast in the passenger seat of my car, and she understands when I have to work late (as long as we go for a long walk when I get home). Although she loves to go to the dog park and play with other dogs, she seems happiest just hanging out with me at home, as we both enjoy a peaceful environment. I can't imagine life without her.

---

Dottie's Canine-ality of "Couch Potato" is part of the Meet Your Match adoption program used at the Richmond SPCA to match pets and people by lifestyle, energy level and other traits. You can take the interactive survey on our website then let our adoption staff introduce you to a match that will bring as much joy to your life as Dottie does for Elizabeth.

---

To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name. 

Alumni feature: resilient Penelope now known as "Penelope Pickle-Bottom Prissy Pants"

Penelope has quite the collection of bandannas. Here she is wearing her spring/summer ladybug bandanna.

Editor's note: For the 14 months Penelope was in the care of the Richmond SPCA, she was a favorite with many staff and volunteers. She also became a favorite here on our blog, where the "Angel Pet Spotlight" post about her condition, mega colon, was viewed more than 8,000 times. Penelope's foster home became a permanent, adoptive home on February 16, 2012, and we're delighted to share this update from her adopter, Lauren, along with photos taken by her husband, Martin. 

Since Penelope left the Richmond SPCA in mid-February, she has been a very busy girl. She has traveled to two flyball tournaments to cheer her favorite flyball team, Take Shelter, to victory. She has also battled the rapids of the Ellijay River in North Georgia, and the 90 steps it took to get down to the river from our cabin! Penelope has logged over 1,500 miles so far.

When Penelope isn’t traveling, she can be found in Bellevue visiting her favorite shop, Paws on MacArthur, where is groomed and spoiled by the owner and staff. She can also be found occasionally at Lowes picking out plants, that she thinks will enhance our home’s curb appeal. At home Penelope refuses to be treated differently just because she is much smaller than her three dog siblings. She will only drink water out of the “big dog” bowl, and is in charge of maintaining polite behaviors inside the house. There is no jumping on the table on her watch....

When Penny wears her cheerleader harness, she gets very serious and lets the competition know that Take Shelter is the best flyball team around.

Shortly after adopting Penelope she did suffer a set-back and needed to be placed back on some of the medications that she had taken before her surgery, but I am happy to report that Penelope is now off the medications, and has even surprised her surgeon with her post-operative progress. We still have to be careful about what foods she eats, but other than that she lives a relatively normal life. Even though Penelope is my first dog with special medical needs, I do have two other dogs with special behavioral needs. Surprisingly, learning to manage Penelope’s medical condition has not been much different than learning how to manage fear-based aggression or leash-reactivity.

Penelope has recently begun her training to develop the skills she will need to play agility. Even though she firmly believes that she is too cute to have to work for food, she has been a good sport, and we hope a novice agility title is in her future.

Penelope has such a great temperament, and is a testament to the resilient nature of dogs. In honor of her past and her personality after we adopted her we gave her the “official name,” Penelope Pickle-Bottom Prissy Pants, and we call her Penny for short.

This photo is of Penelope during our Georgia vacation. She is standing on large rock which is on the river bank.

This is a photo of Penelope conquering the 90 steps it takes from our cabin to the river.

This is what Penelope does after a walk or after being outside when it’s warm.

This is Penelope doing her favorite trick “reach.” As you can see she will sometimes also lift one of her hind-legs off the ground.

This is a photo of Penelope playing in the snow shortly after we adopted her. We initially thought that she wouldn’t like the snow, but she had a blast playing outside in it.

Your gift to the Annual Fund helps us save pets like Penelope and provide them the care needed to place them in loving forever homes.

---

To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

This Saturday, adopters look forward to returning with their pets to be part of the Dog Jog and 5K Run

My Cairn Terrier, Skye, has been eagerly anticipating the 10th Annual Dog Jog and 5K Run presented by Car Pool for almost a year! We adopted her from the Richmond SPCA in January 2008, and she had not been back for a visit until last year's event. I admit, I was apprehensive that she'd take a step backwards in her adjustment to life with us - that she'd think we were returning her to the Richmond SPCA.

All of those fears washed away once we arrived at the Robins-Starr Humane Center, and we bolted out of the starting block for the 1-mile Dog Jog. She has never been so full of excitement and joy as she was that day running furiously down the street with the other dogs and their people.

When we finished the race, we cooled down with a tasty Frosty Paws treat (or two). Not only was I no longer apprehensive, but I knew that the Dog Jog was an event that I had to be more involved with to help more dogs and their people experience the same kind of excitement and joy that Skye and I had. The Dog Jog and 5K Run Committee has been tirelessly working to make the 10th anniversary of this very special and lifesaving event better than ever. If you've attended the Dog Jog and 5K Run in the past, I hope you will register and join us again this year. If you haven’t participated before, then I’m here to tell you that you don’t want to miss all the fun that is in store for you and your four-legged best friend.

There are activities for the entire family to enjoy, including the Holiday Barn Pet Resorts Vendor Fair, which features the PETCO Foundation pet fun zone, activities for kids, music, food from the Boka Truck, the Veternary Emergency & Specialty Center pet wellness tent and microchip clinic, giveaways from local businesses and so much more. If you haven't yet registered, you can sign up in person for the 5K Run, the Dog Jog or both events by visiting the Richmond SPCA on Thursday from noon to 6 p.m., on Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. or on Saturday as early as 8:15 a.m. You can raise donations ahead of time that will benefit our homeless pets, and you can compete against other participants for cool prizes like a vacation getaway and more.

Grab your friends – with two and four legs – and head over to the Richmond SPCA’s Robins-Starr Humane Center on March 24. Your participation is lifesaving to homeless animals in our community, and I thank you for your support!

---

Christie Bieber is a Co-Chair of the Tenth Annual Richmond SPCA Dog Jog and 5K Run with Donna Beames. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.

Alumni feature: Reba-Jane goes country, loving every minute in her new home

Editor’s note: Our adoption counselors call and send post cards to our adoptive families to follow up on how each pet is doing in his or her new home. We always love when we get detailed replies and wanted to share this one about Reba.

I received your postcard about my adoption of Reba and wanted to touch base with you concerning how things are going.

You had asked if we stayed with our "Wild West" theme in naming her. Well, we have Wyatt Earp (a Shih-Tzu) and Annie Oakley (a Himalayan), and as for Reba, we officially named her Calamity Jane, but we're actually calling her Reba-Jane (could she sound any more country?! haha).  Poor little thing, I know she was found in the city, but we're country-fying her quickly!  She seems quite taken with sitting in the window seat watching the chickens, roosters and guinneas in the yard, so I think it's going well. :)

I've attached some pictures. The first one is of her under my bed where she likes to go when she's unsure who's around. The second picture is of her playing with the laser light (you can barely see the red dot on the bed) with Annie (this is how my husband got them to be friends). The third picture is of her on the cat play land my husband built.

Reba-Jane is an absolute doll baby! She's still unsure about the other pets in the house because she doesn't trust them – can't blame her considering that Annie treated her pretty badly the first couple of days she was home. They still swap an occasional hiss and smack, but they also lie around the house together and work their chorus of meows when it's feeding time.

She loves a lot of attention and will let you pet her forever. She loves for someone to rub her between the eyes and stretches her neck and closes her eyes when you hit the "right spot.”  Every night she gets in bed with my husband and me and she does some kind of suckling and kneading thing – first on David's arm and then on mine. David looked this behavior up online and read that it means she's accepting us as "parents." If that's the case, wonderful!

Thank you so much for a wonderful adoption experience.  Everything from the facility (which is WAY cool) to the staff (who could not have been kinder) was absolutely perfect!!!  I appreciate the honesty, knowledge and expertise offered every step of the way.

I look forward to adopting with the Richmond SPCA again and have recommended you guys to everyone I know.

Tina Pollard and her family adopted Reba (aka Calamity Jane) on Dec. 16, 2011. To read the biographies of our regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be used as your screen name.